Woodcrest Asylum
by WelcomeToTheMadhouse
Summary: What happens when the troublemaker Riley Freeman gets mistaken for Lamilton Taeshawn? And to make matters worse, what if he's taken to an Insane Asylum on the outskirts of Woodcrest? Can Riley escape before it's too late? Or will he be trapped forever?
1. Introduction

_**INTRODUCTION**_

**Woodcrest Asylum **(Title may change. I don't want people to think that this is a Batman/Boondocks crossover.)

**Rating: **MA for Violence, Language, and Horror.

It all started with a mistake. A simple mistake that ruined his 8 year old life forever. And get this. It wasn't even his _fault_ this time!

Being mistakened for that troublemaker Lamilton Taeshawn was one thing. But _this _was going entirely too far. An insane asylum for kids? Really? Yes, he was a troublemaker. And yes, he did some pretty fucked up things. But he was **not** crazy! How could they mistake him for that fatass? They didn't even look alike! And come on. An asylum for kids? He hasn't lived in Woodcrest long, but he NEVER heard of an Asylum. Probably because it was so far away from the city...in the middle of nowhere.. Damn, he hated this shit. The doctors are weird, the kids are creepy, and they keep trying to make him eat this nasty ass food. He was **NOT crazy. **He didn't belong.

No.. NO. The doctors in that place would find out that he wasn't Lamiliton soon. He _knew_ it. Granddad and Huey would be there any minute to inform them that they have the WRONG boy. That they made a HUGE mistake.

But what if they never showed up? What if they had no idea that Riley was in such a place? And what if no matter how hard he tried he couldn't seem to get out?

The staff always seemed to be watching... Always watching... Something was going on with this place. It didn't seem right. And that rumor that's been going around the hospital makes Riley want to escape a hell of alot more. The rumor about why kids seemed to disapear everyday... Was it true? Well, he didn't want to stay long enough to find out..

Will Riley escape before it's too late? Or will he be trapped in the madhouse forever?


	2. Chapter 1

**Woodcrest Asylum**

**CHAPTER ONE**

**xxxxxxxxxxx**

I could taste sour blood in my mouth as I was being forced to the ground. The constant pain in my stomach assured me that I was being kicked. I instantly knew who was jumping me. Damn! I never saw Butch's big ass coming! Why didn't I hear him following me, I wondered. A nigga big as that can't ever be light on his feet. Well, maybe I shouldn't be surprised. Butch Magnus _was_ known for sneaking a nigga while his back was turned. That's a bitch move, Butch.

My thoughts were cut off by him forcing me on my stomach. The stomach that was just forcefully kicked. I fell into some wet liquid and it finally dawned on me that the Orange Juice I got for Granddad had spilled all over the sidewalk. The _one _day I actually got his stupid OJ had to be the day that this nigga jumped me. Ain't that some shit? I tried to get up, but I could feel his knee pressed against my back, holding me down. How much did this fat fuck weigh? Damn, this shit hurt! Got a nigga bleeding all on his gear. You can't rep no hood with your _own _blood on your shirt. That ain't a good look.

"_We've got you know!"_

Hold up. Now that ain't sound like his voice. And trust me. I knew what Butch sounded like. He had that habit of yelling unnecessary shit in your ear after he nearly knocked your ass out. That voice was hard as hell to forget. And who was "we"? You mean to tell me I was being jumped by more than one person? Oh hell naw! They ain't about to play Young Reezy like that!

"_You're not going ANYWHERE, Lamilton!"_

Lamilton? As in Lamilton Taeshawn? The psycho nigga with the ciggawettes? Naw, it couldn't be. Last time I saw Lamilton was when he fell from the roof of the school. Hey, I tried to save him, but… he was REALLY fat. Was he finally back? I managed to lift my head up and checked my surroundings. I couldn't see their faces, but I saw that there were 4 legs around me trying to keep me against the sidewalk's hard surface. None of which belonged to Lamilton. So if Lamilton wasn't here, why the hell were they holding _me?_ I ain't do nothing! …..Today.

"AY! Get off me, man!", I managed to choke out.

"_Get off you?,"_ I heard the man bellow. _"Why would I do that, Lamilton? So you can continue to terrorize Woodcrest with your heinous crimes?" _

….Did this nigga just call _me_ Lamilton?

"…What!"

He pressed me on the ground harder._ "Don't `what` me! We've finally got you, Lamilton! You're finally going to where you should've been all along. Now we can do this the easy way, or the hard way…"_

"What the hell are you talkin' about!" I yelled. "I'm not Lamilton! Do I _look_ like I weigh over 200lbs?"

I must've said something hilarious, because both men started laughing. _"So what, you lose a few pounds somehow. You thought THAT would make you impervious from getting caught?" _I felt his icy grip around the back of my neck. _" We're not stupid, Kid. Now don't put up a fuss. Just come with us quietly and there won't be any problems….for now."_

How the hell did they mistake me for Lamilton? I know for a fact that we ain't look alike. I stay looking dipped and buttered, while Lamilton… well, let's just say he looked like Oprah on a bad day. And what did he mean by `Just come with us`..? They must not know who I am. (Literally.) I'm Young Reezy! I do what I wants to do and I go's where I wanna go! And I was _NOT _about to go with these crazy fools. It was then that I began to thrash my body back and forth. They told me not to put up a fuss? Well, technically, I wasn't fussing. I was _fighting. _This was what real niggas did. And I, Riley Freeman, was a real nigga. I mean, that was the only thing I could do, right? Right.

I heard the man grunt as I continued to thrash on the hard sidewalk. I could feel my arms being scraped up in the process. Real niggas got battle scars, so I didn't pay the little cuts any mind. The only thing that was on my brain was getting up, so I could beat BOTH of these nigga's asses.

Finally! I got one of my arms free. These clowns were about to get it now. I balled my free hand into a fist and swung it awkwardly behind me in every direction, not caring about who or what I hit. I was desperate to get this guy off my backside. This shit was starting to get gay. It was then that I felt my fist connect with the man's stomach. I heard the air rush out of his mouth as he lifted his body off of me a little. And a little was enough for me. I slid my body out from under his and shakily stood to my feet. The taste of blood was gone from my mouth. The only thing I tasted at this point …was revenge. And it tasted sweet.

"You thought you could punk Young Reezy!," I exclaimed as I balled up both of my fists. The man made a dash for me, but I moved out of the way just in time, having him run right into a tree; the force knocking him to the ground. I grinned at the sight. It was time to get even.

I walked over to him like a real G. Fists clenched, pout on my face. This nigga thought he could jack me up and get away with it? It would be a cold day in hell before I let that happen. Damn, I wished Thugnificent was here so he could see me stomp this nigga in the nuts!

"_Goodnight, Lamilton…"_

I yelped slightly as I flew to the ground. What happened..? I tried to get up, but my body didn't respond. All I saw was an array of different colors….. a rainbow. No homo. I could feel thick liquid falling into my eyes as I lay sprawled out on the ground. My head was killing me and I suddenly felt tired. I silently kicked myself for forgetting about the other guy that was there. Damn, he caught me slipping.

My eyes were struggling to stay open as I thought about how I got in this shit. This was all Granddad's fault. If he ain't ask me to get his damn juice, none of this would've happened! I felt more liquid falling into my eye. Did he cap me in the head or something? Damn, I'm going to die. I know it. I felt like I was slowly drifting away into a sleep that I would never wake up from. I can't believe this shit..

My final thoughts were interrupted when I saw two shadowy figures overtop of me. Those same two men. Who the hell were they, I wondered. And why did they think I was Lamilton? Where were they taking me..?

I didn't have time to figure out those answers because in the next few seconds everything turned black.

* * *

**A/N:** WHOO! -does the Booty Dance- Well, there's Chapter One! :D I hope you liked it. Please review. Reviewers are like crack to me. I NEED them. Hehe. And I shall return the favor. :)


	3. Chapter 2

**WHOO! My computer had 16 viruses on it. Can you believe it? I guess I have to lay off the porn sites, eh? And I was really looking forward to Call of Booty, Black Cocks. Haha. Anyway. Here's the next chapter. Sorry I took so long with it. Like I said. 16 viruses, people! Soo.. Please tell me what you think. :D**

* * *

Something didn't seem right…

I brought my eyes up from the book I was reading and glanced around my environment. Everything seemed the same. Same posters of Malcolm X and Dr. King on the wall. Same computer that sat at the foot of my bed. Same window to my right. Nothing changed in the room. Nothing at all. But what I couldn't figure out was why it felt so …different. So strange. I had this feeling that just wouldn't go away. It was something I'd never felt before… Being one to not ignore the obvious signs that something was wrong, I took a moment to think.

Hmm.. Why did it seem eerie in here..? As if something was out of balance? And why did I feel so weird? I put a finger on my chin for a second and brought it down when I finally realized what was wrong. What was missing.

Or better yet, _who _was missing.

I glanced out the window and realized that it had gotten dark out and really late. This was beyond weird. Not the fact that it was late, but the notion that a certain someone wasn't back home yet. That certain someone being my ignorant brother. Now, don't get me wrong. My brother being out really late wasn't anything out of the ordinary. In fact, I'd be pretty surprised If he came home before 9:00P.M. But it was something about this particular night that seemed to rub me the wrong way.

It was then that I got out of my bed and made my way down the steps. Sitting in my room wondering about the situation wasn't going to help any, so I decided to check the house. As I neared the landing, I was greeted with a strange sound...

Silence. And _that _was a bad sign.

You see, If my brother was home, you'd hear the violent killings of a video game, or the yelling between him and my Granddad. Even the obnoxious screaming of a rapper on BET. But to not hear any of this just gave me a weird feeling. And I didn't like it.

"Granddad.", I called as I entered the living room. I spotted him in his chair watching TV and rolled my eyes when I realized he was watching yet another Tyler Perry movie.

"What 'chu want, boy!", he said rather annoyed. I ignored his tone.

"Where's Riley?", I asked bluntly.

"I sent his little short ass to get me some orange juice two hours ago! And if he walks through that door with no orange juice in his hand, I'm gonna drink me a Red Bull, get my belt, and.."

"So you sent him to the store two hours ago."

"Yep."

"And he's not back yet."

"Nope."

I raised a brow. "And that doesn't seem strange to you?"

"Nope."

Typical.

"He's probably with Ed and Rummy. Gettin' into some stupid shit again...", he paused for a moment and his eyes went wide. "If those niggas drank my orange juice…"

I sighed and shook my head. "Granddad. Don't you think your grandson is a _little_ more important than juice?"

He thought for a moment. "Well, it _is _a full day's supply of Vitamin C…"

"Forget it."

I turned around rather annoyed. I knew that trying to reason with my …naive grandfather wasn't going to help me any. But he did strike up a point. Ed and Rummy. Riley spent almost all of his time with them. Come to think of it, I've never really seen Riley with _any _friends other than them..

Wow.. He needed to get out more..

I walked over to the phone in the landing and dialed Ed's number. At this point I was kind of anxious to hear the familiar voice of my younger brother. Why? Well, I had no idea..

"Wuncler residence.", a British male answered on the second ring. I quickly realized it was one of the many butlers that Ed had working for him.

"Yes, I'm looking for my brother Riley Freeman.", I replied. "Is he there?"

"I'm very sorry sir, but no one is here at the moment.", he quickly answered.

I shook my head. If they were out trying to "rob" another bank, Riley was in for yet another ass whooping from me. My thoughts were interrupted when I heard the butler speak again.

"Mr. Wuncler, along with…Gin Rummy, left yesterday to accompany Mr. Edward Wuncler Sr. for a seminar in France. They'll be gone for a week at the most. Would you like me to take a message for you, Mr.."

I hung up the phone.

If Ed and Rummy were gone since yesterday, where else could Riley be?

With Cindy?.. No. His "Homies over Hoes" persona was still in effect. Besides, Cindy was away at some basketball tournament in NY.

Jazmine? …Hmmph, whatever.

Lamilton?.. No. We haven't seen him in months. Besides, even I don't think Riley is dumb enough to start hanging out with that psycho again..

There was nobody left.. No other person who Riley could possibly be with.. Where could he be..? I glanced out the window at the dark sky for the last time that night.. My heart started to race just a little..

This whole situation gave me a bad feeling on the inside..

And I didn't like it.

* * *

"_Wa…p…"_

My eyes fluttered open a bit when I heard that sound. It sounded like a muffled voice but I couldn't make out what it was saying. Where… Where am I..? I was still tired as shit, but I managed to open my eyes just enough to check my surroundings. I was in.. a red room? What the hell? Damn, my head was banging. I needed a Tylenol real quick-like. As my eyes were getting over the feeling of sleep, it became clear that I actually was in a small room. A room that wasn't my own. How..? How did I get here..?

My eyes went wide as basketballs when I remembered..

"DAMN!", I exclaimed. "Them niggas got me!"

I balled up my fists. Or, at least I tried. My body didn't work!. "What the hell?", I said out loud as I tried to lift up my arms. But.. I couldn't do it. I couldn't move! It was then that I realized my body was wrapped in a….big ass coat? It wasn't my size because the sleeves were wrapped around my back. Holding me in place.

"Shit!", I said in a hushed whisper as I tried to break free. But this shit was too thick! ….No homo.

Sweat was plastered on my neck, and I soon realized it was difficult to breathe. It was hot as the devil's nuts in here! And what the _FUCK _was that smell? Eww! It smelled worse than Granddad after he ate ice cream. I broke my train of thought when I heard a voice.

"_So you finally decided to wake up, eh?"_

I frantically looked left. Then right. "Who the hell said that?", I yelled. There was nobody in the room but me. Where was the voice coming from? He was probably hiding from me like a little bitch!

"_Stop being so defensive, Lamilton. You'll get all the help you need here…"_

Where was that fucking voice coming from? "Where you at, nigga!", I screamed. "Show yourself you lil' punk!" I couldn't take this shit anymore. They had a nigga tied up in a small ass room. There wasn't even a toilet in here! What if I had to take a shit?

"_Look up."_

"What..?"

Confused, I brought my eyes up towards the ceiling. Nothing there. What was this nigga talking…. Wait. What is that? I noticed a small black speaker in the corner of the ceiling; next to it was a tiny camera watching my every move. That answered two of my questions.

The voice was coming from the speaker.

And the camera explained why there was no toilet in here.

"_See, Lamilton? Everything's okay."_

I shook my head frantically. As if trying to erase all of that shit he was saying. "AY MAN! I'm _NOT _Lamilton! I'm RILEY FREEMAN! Don't I get phone call or somethin'? My granddad can tell you that ya'll fucked up! I'm _NOT _Lamilton! I'm _NOT!"_

My voice cracked on that last word. (In a gangsta way, I must add.), but I couldn't stress that last statement enough. They fucked up! They fucked up big time!

"_It's okay Lamilton. We understand."_

I wanted to kill these dumb motha'fuckahs. "ARE YOU LISTENIN'!"

"_Now, we're going to take you out of the holding room so you can meet the people you'll be associated with from now on. Oh, and Lamilton?"_

I didn't answer.

"_..Welcome to Woodcrest Asylum."_

As soon as he said that, the door that I hadn't noticed before opened to my left, and it was accompanied by a bright white light. I squeezed my eyes shut in return.

I didn't see the two men walking towards me. I actually didn't even notice the men.. That is, until they forcefully grabbed my shoulders.

"Ay! Get off me!", I tried to fight, but that jacket was still on me and tight.

"Calm down, kid.", one of them replied. "Be a good little boy and you'll get that straightjacket off early."

When they lifted me up off the ground, I realized that my legs were wobbly, but after a few more attempts to stand, I finally got them situated. As they started to walk me towards the bright door, I contemplated making my move, but the light made my vision clearer, which meant I saw the two huge firearms that each of them had on their hips. Why do they need pieces like _that?_ It's just an…Asylum? Damn, I don't even know what an "Asylum" is. Uh… I changed my mind about the "trying to break free" thing. Not because I was a punk or nothin', but because I couldn't do much damage. I _was _still weak after all… Besides, if they needed a piece like that on _both_ their hips, maybe this.. "Asylum" was going to be a little difficult to break out of than I thought..

Oh yeah, you heard right. I'm gonna break out. How? Shit, I'm Young Reezy. I ain't scared of no nigga! What? They think they bad as shit just 'cause they got guns? I deal with guns _everyday_, nah mean? And they ain't gonna shoot no kid. I got rights!

"What? You gonna use that piece on me?", I asked one of them trying to test him. I knew he couldn't think of an answer.

The two men stopped walking at the same time. Confused, I raised a brow.

"..Only if we have to, Lamilton.", he patted the gun with his free hand to reassure me. As if I didn't hear him clear enough. His tone of his voice and the ugly ass grin he had on his face sent a shiver up my spine.

I gulped silently. He wasn't serious.. He couldn't be..

We were finally out the room, and I was happy. The cool air that hit my face caused me to sigh in relief. But that relief was short lived, because I felt my heart drop when I looked out the window that the air had been coming from.

"It's…DAYTIME?", I yelled, shocked.

Both men laughed. "Of course. You've been sleeping like a little baby all night.", one of them said to me as if I were three years old.

I couldn't believe it. I was here all night and my granddad wasn't here _yet? _Something had to be wrong. I know his ass realized that I ain't come home last night with his damn juice. And I was _sure_ that Huey realized it too, so where were they? I narrowed my eyes and shook my head. No. They were on their way. I knew it. They couldn't live without me! I just knew that all I had to do was be patient. They would be here soon to get me…

I was sure of it..

I was so deep in thought that I didn't notice the hallway that we were in..

White. All white. White walls. White floor. White ceiling. It was all too surreal for my taste. It was just _too_ much white. And I live in Woodcrest, so that's saying something. As we continued to walk, I tried to find something that wasn't white, but I failed. Shit, even the niggas that were holding me was dressed in white clothes. They looked sloppy too. They wasn't clean like I was… Hold up. That reminds me…

"Where the hell is my gear?", I thought out loud. We then turned yet another corner. Yep, still white.

One of the men looked down at me and grinned. "You're wearing your 'gear', _son." _they both chuckled at that last word. But I ain't see shit that was funny.

Great. I got two racist niggas, I thought to myself. "If ya'll don't get me my damn clothes, I'm gonna.."

I stopped short when I heard all the voices. Strange voices. The voices of… kids? I was so busy looking up at the two men that were holding me, that I didn't even notice that we had entered a large white room. A large room filled with kids dressed in all white clothing. But something was different about these kids. Why did they look so… _dumb?_ Like they ain't know their left from their right?

I raised a brow when I noticed this white girl. She looked about my brother's age. She sat in the corner of the room tracing her finger up the wall. Up and down. Over and over gain. The hell was she doing? And… was she _talking _to herself? Damn, I've never seen a white girl like this. Her blonde hair was nappy as shit and she seemed… nervous. It was like her body was trembling. The air wasn't up _that _high..

"You should stay away from that one, kid.", one of the men chuckled as he began to unbuckle the jacket I was wearing. Now, if I had noticed this sooner, I would've been out this bitch like a bloody tampon. But I was too busy looking around the room.

One black boy was sitting in the middle of the floor laughing like someone was tickling him. His eyes were nearly out of his head and he was drooling. Eww… that shit was nasty. My heart beat started to accelerate. This shit was getting weird. What the hell was wrong with these kids, I wondered. And what kind of place is this? Do they give out weed here? Cause these niggas were actin' like they were high as a kite.

As I began to look at a group of children who were running around in a circle, my gaze was interrupted when someone ran into me. Ran into me hard.

I yelped when I saw that it was the same white girl I noticed earlier. When the fuck did she move from that corner? She held onto my shoulders and looked into my eyes like she was about to eat me or some shit. I would've pushed her off, but the shit caught me off guard and I couldn't react fast enough.

"WILL…Y-YOU…" she began as she got closer to my face. I held my breath. I ain't know where her mouth had been. "WILL YOU… T-TOUCH ME…. O-ON THE I-NSIDE?"

My eyes went wide and my cheeks started to turn red. _A LITTLE. _It was then that I found the strength to push this crazy bitch off of me. She was so light. Like she ain't eat in years. She fell to the floor and looked up at me like she was a puppy who had just pissed on the carpet. Like she was sorry she nearly raped a nigga.

"MARIA!" I heard a voice boom from behind me. I realized it was one of the men who had brought me out of the room. "Get _BACK _in your corner!" he yelled.

And like a trained dog, she crawled right back to the corner and started rocking back and forth. Over and over again. I didn't know what to do or what to say. I was too scar-…surprised.

"Told you to stay away from that one. She gets a _little _anxious when a newbie gets here.", I heard the man say with a chuckle. I still ain't see shit that was funny. That's why I always say that all women were hoes and that they couldn't be trusted. She couldn't _wait _to grind on a nigga!

And then it hit me. Like a ton of bricks. I just _pushed _her off of me. With my _hands._

I looked down and realized that the jacket was off and I could move around freely. Which meant that I could haul ass right out of this bitch. I looked around one last time and shook my head. I've only been in this room for five minutes and I couldn't wait to leave. Without a second thought, I took a break for the door behind me..

Only to have it slam right in my face.

I pulled once. Twice. It wouldn't budge. I was locked in. Locked in with these crazy people..

…Who were all staring at me.


	4. Chapter 3

**Your reviews made me feel so awesome on the inside! I really appreciate it. :D -tear- This Chapter is a tad long...like my imaginary penis..-cough- -cough- But I hope you enjoy it. Oh! And before anybody asks, NO there is not going to be a love interest for Riley. ...But it will be hinted. Hehe.**

* * *

"…The..the fuck ya'll lookin' at?", I managed to choke out. I pressed my back against the door and looked around for any weapons I could use to defend myself. But there was none to be found. DAMN!

"_Calm down, kids. Nothing to see."_

And just like that, all the kids turned back to what they were doing. Like they were robots. I raised a brow. It was as if they forgot all about me…. That was creepy.

I looked up in the direction where I heard the voice, and noticed it came from yet another speaker from the ceiling. Next to it was yet another camera. Now that I think about it… it was the same voice I heard in the room I was sleeping in. Who was it..?

"_Lunchtime, kids."_

There it was again. Suddenly, a door ahead of me swung open, and like an angry mob, all the kids rushed out of the room and ran down the hallway. They were screaming and yelling like they just saw Usher. I gasped at how quickly the room became vacant. I was the only one left. Good. Now I had a chance to think.

It was then that I felt a rumble in my gut.

"Damn…", I said to nobody in particular. "I ain't eat since yesterday.." I shook my head at the thought. As I stared at the empty room, I realized that I wasn't going to do much thinking on an empty stomach.

I decided to make my way down the hallway. (All white of course.) I didn't know where I was going because the crowd had already left. But after a few more minutes of walking, I finally heard voices and laughter. I finally found those retards. I grinned at the sound.

At that point, I was hungrier than a hostage.

* * *

Sunlight.

I popped one eye open. Then the other. Yes, it was morning.

I sat up in my bed and rubbed my eyes. I didn't get much sleep last night because thoughts of my brother's whereabouts flooded my mind…

Riley.

I quickly glanced over towards my brother's bed and gasped at the sight.

Empty. I swallowed spit. Riley's bed had never been slept in. I knew because I took the liberty of making Riley's bed last night. And it was still perfectly made.

I jumped out my bed and got my clothes out of the closet. Something wasn't right…

And I was going to find out what it was. Even if it killed me.

* * *

The cafeteria was… big.

Dozens of kids were sitting at the tables that were scattered throughout the all white room. I could barely hear myself think because they were making a shit load of noise. Whether it was talking or screaming, it pissed me off. I wanted to tell them all to shut the _fuck _up… but all the workers that stood near the walls changed my mind. Why were they staring at me like that..?

I shook my head and sat down at one of the empty tables near the door. Ain't no way I was gonna sit next to these crazy fucks. They might drool on me or some shit. I raised a brow when I noticed that they already had all the trays set out at each table. I guessed it was because these weirdoes couldn't handle getting their own tray and sitting down without…I don't know… seeing a dragon or some shit.

I looked down at my tray and my stomach did a back flip. The fuck was this?

It was some… grayish type of shit. With…black sprinkles? I poked it with my fork only to find that I couldn't take it back out again. Oh _HELL_ nah! I ain't eating this shit. I poked it with the spoon this time and made a face. Suddenly, Mrs. Dubois' peach cobbler didn't seem so bad…

"…It looks sick… but you'll get used to it.", I heard a voice say.

I looked up from my tray and realized where it came from. Some girl was sitting at my table. She was brown skinned, had brown eyes and wore all white (like everybody else). She also had her hair back in a short ponytail. I rolled my eyes at the sight. I ain't want to talk to nobody in this place. Let alone someone who clearly needed a perm. I ignored her and poked my spoon at the food again.. Maybe she would leave me alone..

"So what's your name, kid?", she asked.

Kid? She was _my _age! I glanced up at her and gave her a 'Fuck off' look, but she didn't seem to notice. She just kept smiling. That's just like a hoe. Never paying attention.

Before I knew it, she grabbed my wrist and brought it to her face. Surprised, I quickly yanked it back and looked at this bitch like she was crazy. Did she have some problem? Grabbing me like that…. Well, after what I seen today, I shouldn't be surprised.

"The fuck did you do that for?", I nearly yelled. I got even angrier when she laughed. I ain't know what her problem was, but she was just asking for me to bitch slap her ass.

"So, Lamilton finally speaks up.", she said with another laugh.

"What the hell is wrong with you? And how'd you know my name?", I shook my head quickly at my mistake. "I mean, that's _not_ my name, It's- ..It…My name is-.."

"Dang, calm down.", she shook her head. She then pointed to my wrist. "Your wristband?"

"What?", I looked down at my wrist and noticed that there was a white wristband on it. It read **'TAESHAWN, LAMILTON. AGE 8.' **I didn't even know I had one on. I glanced at the girl's wrist and realized that she had one too.

"Yep, we all have one.", she said bringing up her wrist and looking at it. "Name's Chris. Nice to meet you, Lamilton.", she extended her arm towards my face with a smile.

I looked at her and raised my eyebrow. She obviously ain't know what personal space was. "Uhh..I don't shake hands.", I said as I crossed my arms. Yeah, she ain't seem like the other crazies, but I could be wrong. I mean, who knows what this girl had? I ain't want to get infected or nothing. My dick might fall off or some shit like that.

She brought her hand back and shrugged her shoulders. "Fair enough… So what're you in for, Lamilton?", she asked.

I still ain't know why this chick was talking to me, but whatever. I wasn't gonna stay here long, so I might as well tell her what was going on. It was always good to have a witness… I mean when… you're the one who was getting fucked over.

"First of all..", I started. "My name ain't Lamilton. It's Riley. Riley Freeman."

She nodded her head. "I see."

"…You do?", I asked, surprised.

She smiled. "Yep. There are a lot of kids here like you.", she scratched her head. "You… don't belong here… do you, Riley?"

I smiled for the first time that day. "YEAH, YEAH!", I nearly screamed. Some of the guards looked my way, but I ain't give a fuck. Someone finally knew where I was coming from. And there were more like me? Damn, this place was about to get sued big time. Maybe… for once… a girl actually knew what she was talking about…

She smiled again. "Yep. You're not the only schizophrenic here."

"…..What?"

"So how many personalities do you have?", she giggled. "Besides `Riley` of course."

My smile vanished and it was replaced by a frown. "The fuck are you talking about? I ain't crazy like ya'll! They fucked up and brought me here by mistake!"

"What do you mean they fucked up? They only bring people in here who have mental issues. They don't make mistakes.", she said confused.

I balled up my fists and shook my head violently. I couldn't believe this shit. She was just like the rest. Retarded. "Look at me.", I pointed to my chest. "Do I look like one of you? Do I look crazy?"

"Well, you're yelling like you're crazy..", she rolled her eyes.

I face palmed. "Forget it. You got me wastin' my time talkin' to you when I should be thinkin' of a plan.."

She laughed again. "Time? This is Woodcrest Asylum, kid. You got all the time in the world!"

"Yeah, whatever.", I rolled my eyes. This bitch was pissing me off and that made me want to get away from this place-and her- a hell of a lot faster. I began to get up but her voice interrupted me.

"What `plan` are you talking about anyway?", she asked.

Now… I thought about my answer. Should I tell her what I had in mind? Or should I keep it to myself? This girl wasn't like the other kids. She wasn't all jittery and nervous, and she could actually hold a conversation without yelling or screaming. She didn't seem crazy at all… but I knew better. There had to be a reason she was in here. And I didn't want to stay long enough to find out..

I lowered my voice to a whisper. I didn't want the guards to hear me. "I'm gettin' out of here..", I said with a grin.

Her eyes went wide…and before I knew it she shook her head in disappointment. "You can't leave, kid.."

I sucked my teeth at her stupidity. "And why is that?"

She lowered her eyes. "Because.. No one ever leaves…"

I nearly jumped when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked back quickly and realized that is was some sort of doctor. …I think. He was an older white man who wore a long white lab coat and had glasses on the tip of his nose. He also had hair just like my granddad. White on both sides, but none in the middle.

"Hello, Lamilton.", he started with a smile. "My name is Dr. Scott. Are you enjoying your stay so far?"

I instantly recognized the voice. It was the same voice I kept hearing through the speakers. This must be the nigga that was in charge.

"No. I'm _not._", I said in a nasty tone as I yanked his hand off my shoulder. I couldn't wait to cuss his ass out. "I'm NOT Lamilton. I'm Riley Freeman! Your dumb ass goons fucked up and got me by mistake! I hope ya'll got some serious paper in this bitch, 'cause I'ma sue the fu-"

I got cut off by his laughter. His… creepy laughter. "Oh, Lamilton.", he wiped a tear from his eye. "You're even more rambunctious than they told me. Don't worry son, you'll get all the help you need here."

I started to punch this nigga's light's out. No one was listening to me. Not even the head nigga in charge! And where the fuck was my fam? They should've been here by now. They ain't notice that I been gone all night? Is that how they treat me? I shook my head at the thought. You know what? I'ma real nigga. And real niggas ain't need family. Especially when they ain't have your back.

"Ahh, I see you've met Christina..", he said cutting off my thoughts.

"Christina..?", I asked out loud. "Who's Christina?"

He laughed. "Silly me. I forgot she likes to be called Chris. Kind of strange, really…"

"…_Don't…_call me that…"

I heard a small voice say. Oh shit! I forgot all about that girl I was talking to. I turned my attention back to Chris only to be greeted by a strange sight..

The once cheerful and smiley Chris seemed to turn into somebody totally different. She held herself tightly and her eyes were glued towards the ground. She… was shaking. I raised my brow at the sight. What happened in the last few minutes? It was like something inside her snapped..

"What's wrong with you?", I asked.

She didn't answer. In fact, she didn't even look up.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about her. She doesn't talk much..", I heard Dr. Scott say as he began to straighten his glasses.

"Huh..?", I asked confused. "But she just…"

Suddenly, her head shot up, and she gave me the strangest look ever… a look that said `Keep your mouth shut.` Why did she look so…angry? I looked back at the Doc, but he was still straightening up his glasses, so he couldn't see Chris' strange behavior. When the doc finally finished, she lowered her head quickly, got up, and ran through the sea of children. I was…confused.

"She just what, Lamilton?", Scott asked.

I glanced back at him not sure of how to answer. Chris' behavior was weird to say the least. She was fine a few minutes ago, but as soon as the doc came, she changed..

"Uhh… nothin'.", I answered as I adverted my eyes to the side. "So… what's up with her?", I asked, curious.

"Ahh, Christina Davis.", he began. "She's one of our… elders, if you will."

"Elders?", I asked.

"Yes. She's been here longer than any other child here. Quite the unpredictable specimen…", he said as a matter of factly.

Specimen? Why the hell is this nigga talking about her like she was a science experiment or some shit? I shook my head at the thought and continued with the questions. "Unpredictable, huh?"

"Yes. She's tried to escape our facility quite a few times.", he replied.

Now, that sparked my interest. "Oh really?"

"Yes. She almost got out a few times. Which is why we had to step up security quite a bit..", he continued.

It all started to make sense to me. Why every door seemed to be dead locked. Why all the staff had guns on each hip. And why there was a camera in every room. It was all because of her..

"That's a lot to go through all because of some girl..", I stated as I pointed to one of the staff members that had a hand on his gun, as if he were ready for a fight.

Scott chuckled. "Well, we can't be too careful… now can we, Lamilton...?"

The way he said that sentence made a shiver go down my spine. I instantly knew he didn't say that just to be funny. It was a warning. Telling me that if you tried to escape, they wouldn't hold back. But.. what was so bad about one kid getting out? These kids looked dumb as fuck, but it ain't seem like they were murderers or something. Why was he so worried about someone escaping..?

"Any more questions, Lamilton.?"

I chuckled a bit. "Nope. None at all."

"Now, I know you're trying to convince everyone that you're `Riley`. And that's okay. You take all the time you need until you can tell us who you really are. Only then can your treatment begin.", he said with a smile.

"…Okay, I'll take as much time as I can..", I agreed with a smile.

"Good.. You'll be assigned to your room later on today. And if there's anything you need. Please, don't hesitate to ask me.", he began to walk away, but he stopped and turned around to face me. Oh, and remember, Lamilton...", he paused and put his finger up. "I'm always watching…", And with that he walked out of the cafeteria and the doors shut tightly behind him. I grinned at the sight.

You must be wondering why I calmed down so much. Why I didn't complain when he kept calling me Lamilton. You see, I had a plan. No, he wasn't gonna do any `treatment` on me. Because I wasn't gonna stay here long enough to get it. If I couldn't count on my so called family to get me out, then I had to do it myself. Hmph. If that girl could do it, then so could I. I grinned when I stared out at the kids that were talking loudly and screaming. By this time tomorrow nobody here would see me again..

..Because I was gonna get my ass out of here tonight.


	5. Chapter 4

**Thank you again for the reviews! They...-cries-...they gave me such a massive boner, I-I.. couldn't contain it..-sniff-. Hehe. Let me stop, you all probably think I'm some nut. Anyway.. This may have to have a MA rating because of some of the content you're about to read. If I offend anybody, I'm sorry. So...bloop!**

* * *

Who else do I have to turn to? Who else was left?

I wiped some sweat from my forehead and looked up in the sky. The sun looked as if it would be going down soon and I desperately tried to shake that thought from my mind. If the sun was going down, that meant I was running out of time. And if I wanted to find my brother before something bad happened to him, running out of time was not an option for me. But I soon realized that I, myself was losing hope. I've spent all day talking to people. Asking them when and where they've seen my brother last. But I was coming up short left and right. The Dubois' family didn't see him. Thugnificent..I mean.. "Otis", didn't see him either. I even asked his teacher. No luck. And don't even get me started on A Pimp Named Slickback. I went to him to find out about my brother's whereabouts, but I somehow left with tips on how to "keep my hoes in check."

Well, the bottom line is that nobody could give me any information. So again I ask..

Who else do I have to turn to? Who else was left?

I sighed when I reached my last destination for the day. As I stood out in front of his off-white picket fence, I contemplated turning around and taking my search elsewhere. Coming to _him _with my problems was the last thing I wanted to do. I knew in my heart that there was no way in hell he could help me with anything.. But I had to try. I had to try for my brother…

…Even though I know Riley wouldn't do all this for me if it was the other way around.

I scowled when I saw him coming out of his house. Must've spotted me when I walked up towards his gate. I tried not to vomit when he walked, no, waddled towards me.

"Well, well, well..", he started.

I could hear the taunting tone of voice he was using, and frankly I didn't have time for any verbal altercations at the moment. I was here for one reason.

"Ruckus.", I began. "Have you seen my brother any time today or yesterday?"

Ruckus pointed his chubby finger at me and narrowed his good eye. "See? That's why they should keep ya'll little monkey asses in the zoo where ya' belong! Instead of havin' ya'll runnin' wild and gettin' lost!"

"Have you seen him or not?", I asked as I clenched up a fist. "I've already asked the Dubois' family, his teacher, Thug-",

"Well, that's where ya' went wrong!", he interrupted. "Whatchu' ask that teacher for? You know that little nigga ain't neva' been near a school!", Ruckus began to clench his stomach and laugh, completely oblivious to the scowl I was giving him.

That was when I turned around and started walking. I knew coming to him was a useless idea. I tried, but honestly, I couldn't take it anymore. All he was doing was wasting my time. And time was something that I didn't have at the moment. It was amazing how much ignorance was in one man…

"Yeah, I seen him.."

I instantly stopped walking and turned around to face Ruckus, who had his arms crossed and was smiling his crooked smile. Obviously proud that he got my attention. "Mhm.. I saw him yesterday..", he continued.

I couldn't believe my ears. "Where?"

He chuckled. "Yeah, I saw the little nigglet walking down the sidewalk with some juice..", he shook his head. "I knew his ass stole it.."

"Stole it?", I asked.

"I jus' came to the conclusion that it's in ya'll blood to steal thangs that ya'll don' need. That's why I ain't say nothin' when I saw him.", he chuckled. "But thank the white Lawd for that new police force they got. Cause that little nigga ain't know what hit him!"

I raised a brow and ignored his `humor.` "New police force?

"Mhm.", he nodded. "Tackled him right to the ground!"

I thought back to yesterday. And I realized that I didn't hear anything about some new police force. And even if there was one, how come they didn't contact us?

"Did you see anything else?"

"Shit, I was laughin' too hard!", he chuckled as he recalled. "But those officers must've known what they was doin', cause they knocked him the hell out, threw him in that white van and took his little ass to jail."

"White van..", I repeated.

I shook my head and walked off towards my house. I knew that I had all the information I needed to find Riley. I was just shocked that it came from someone who would eat shit if it came from a white man's ass. But what he said was strange. I know for a fact Riley hadn't done anything wrong lately. ….Well, nothing that the police would rough him up for.

"Hey! Don' look so mad! He's in jail! His natural habitat!", Ruckus yelled behind me. It was followed by yet another hardy laugh.

I shook my head at his words but focused on the matter at hand. My brother was taken. Against his will. And the fact that no one called to tell us that just made my blood boil. But it also meant that something was wrong.

And with a little help from my computer, I was going to find out what it was.

* * *

Today…was long…as _FUCK._

As I layed back on this shitty ass bed, I shook my head thought about what happened after that little `incident` at lunch.

Not a damn thing.

What? You think I'm playin'? I'm serious! These niggas don't do _nothin' _here but drool, scream, and get on my damn nerves. Tell me why all we did after lunch was go outside in a small ass playground. It ain't even have a swing or nothin'! All I did was stand by the door and waited for us to go back inside. Which, by the way, was _three… fuckin'… hours_. And my stomach was bubblin' too. Somehow I forced that crap they was servin' at lunch down. Eww.. It made me shiver just thinkin' about it.

But hey, I ain't see that girl again…. I mean, not that I was lookin' for her! I just thought she would pop up out of nowhere and start talkin' again. But, it was like she disappeared… Ay, I don't care or nothin'! I was just sayin'..

I shook my head at the thought and eyed the clock that was on the small nightstand next to my bed. It read 10:29pm. That meant that I had one minute left until I made my move. See, bedtime for them is 8:00pm. But I decided to wait until it got really late before I tried to book. And guess what.

They don't even lock your doors. Hehe…Dumbasses!

10:30pm. Time to go.

I edged out of my bed and walked towards the door. I was lucky we couldn't have no roommates, 'cause they probably would've heard me. I peeked out of the little window in the middle of the door to make sure no guards were there. Seeing as though they stood on patrol all night. I struggled to see, but it was too dark in the hallway. Damn, I had to be careful. If I got caught… I ain't know what they would do. So, after taking a deep breath, I turned the door knob and pulled the door open slowly..

The hallway was quiet but I ain't let that fool me. The guards could've been anywhere and I ain't want them to catch me slippin'. Not again..

I snuck in the hallway and looked left. Then right. My heart sank when I realized my mistake..

I ain't know where the hell I was going! Damn!

I muttered a small "_Fuck!" _as I shook my head. How come I ain't think of this shit sooner? Shit.. Oh well, can't stop now. Might as well go and see where I take myself..

I decided to go to my left. So, I put my back against the wall and slid my hands along it as I walked. It was dark as shit, so I had to rely on feeling my way around.

After walking for a few seconds, I gasped silently when my hand reached a corner. I peeked around it and realized it was clear, but doors were lined along the walls. Shit, more rooms filled with the crazies. I couldn't let them hear me 'cause they'd probably wake up and blow my cover. I had to be as silent as possible..

I continued to feel my way along the wall, taking it slower when I got to a door. Damn, I was good! I ain't see no guards or nothin'! If I kept this shit up, I'd be out of here in no time!

"Here again..?"

I jumped the hell out of my skin when I heard the small voice. I was frozen in place. I looked left, then right, but it was still kind of dark so even if someone was near me, I couldn't see them very well. I steadied my breathing and tried to listen again. And to my surprise, the noise was coming from…behind me?

…Behind the door I was standing in front of.

Shit! Someone was still awake.

"Mhm.."

Wait. I thought we couldn't share a room. But I could've sworn I heard two different voices. Who had this room..? Maybe if I took a little peek I could…

No. I had to keep moving. I couldn't be nosey. I had to get out of here as soon as possible.

"Please… hurry.."

Ah, what the hell.

I turned and stood tall so I could peep through the window on the door. I wish I wasn't so short. When I finally could get a good look through the window, my eyes went wide when I spotted her.

That white girl that attacked me earlier.. She was sitting on the bed and staring in my direction. But she wasn't looking at me. She was looking at…

Oh shit! It was a guard in the room with her! I nearly jumped back when he came into view. Good thing he ain't hear me nearly yelp. Wait… he ain't see me either. But… what was he doin' in there?

I edged closer to the window and watched as he walked closer to her. A he put a hand on her shoulder.. And as he… took off his white coat.. What the hell?

"Don't scream..", I heard him say.

My heart beat began to go faster when he pushed her on her back. She yelped a little and stared up at him in horror. I heard his heavy breathing as he struggled to take his pants off.

No… he can't be doing what I think he was doing. He couldn't be… That was a little girl, man!

I covered my mouth and watched in horror as he pinned her arms down on the bed. She was crying now.. The sound of his laughter made my heart beat faster. It was like he was pinning _me _down 'cause I couldn't move! I just couldn't look away…

..That is, until somebody tackled me to the ground..

"Ahh!"

I fell with a hard thud and looked up at my attacker. I already had my fists clenched, because if they were going to take me, they were going to take me fighting.

"What the hell are you doing here, kid?", she said in a hushed whisper as she sat on top of me and rubbed her head.

I could hardly see her face, but I instantly recognized the voice. "Chris?", I said, dumbfounded. "The hell are _you _doing here?"

Realizing that I had a girl on top of me, I blushe-…pushed her ass off and stood up. I brushed myself off and she did the same. "You shouldn't be out here, Riley!", she whispered. "You don't know what the hell you're doing!"

"I don't know what _I'm _doing?", I snapped. "_Your _clumsy ass bumped into _me!"_

"Well, what were you doing in the middle of the hallway!", she exclaimed.

"None of your damn business!", I yelled.

Oh shit.. I yelled.

"HEY!"

I heard the man in the room yell. Damn! We were caught.. And it was all her fault! I knew my ass shouldn'tve been so damn nosey. As the knob was turning, I felt Chris grab my hand and she pulled hard. "Run!", she exclaimed.

Shit, she ain't have to tell me twice.

We began to run down the hallway hand in hand. Uh.. You know.. 'cause it was dark and I couldn't see where I was going. Besides, she's been here longer than me, so I just figured she had a… better sense of direction..

"GET BACK HERE!"

Damn! The guard was right on our asses! I heard him running close behind us. We quickly turned a corner and ran down a second hallway. It was like the farther we ran, the less ground we covered. It was like we couldn't get away. When we turned yet another corner, my eyes nearly popped out of my head when she stopped.

"What the hell are you doing?", I yelled. "They're right behind us!"

"In here!", she pointed towards the door we were standing in front of. I was surprised when she turned the knob and it opened. It was like a supply closet. "Hide in here!"

I didn't even have the chance to reply because she pushed me in. "Hey!", I yelled.

"Don't leave this room until morning, Riley!", she said as she looked left and then right. The guard was almost near us.

I looked up at her in a panic. "The morning? What about you?"

"I'll be fine, just shut up and hide!", she then slammed the door and left me in that closet… alone.

It was dark in there, but I felt along the walls until I reached a corner. Then I sat down and listened..

I could hear dozens of feet running past the door. The feet of many guards. I held my breath as they passed because I didn't want _anything _to give away where I was. My heart was beating rapidly as I sat in that cold corner. I couldn't believe I had to stay here until morning. And where did Chris come from? I hadn't seen her all day and here she is popping out of nowhere in the middle of the night. What was she doing..?

Wait..

My eyes went wide when I realized something strange. Something that I never knew would happen during my stay here.

She… she called me Riley.

My real name. Not Lamilton like she used to. But Riley.

But what I couldn't figure out was… why?


	6. Chapter 5

**Thanks again for the reviews! :D And please don't hesitate to whore me out! Yes! BE MY PIMP and tell people about this story. :) **

**And don't let the beginning confuse you. You're mind isn't going crazy. I didn't want people to go "Oh, Em, Gizzle. That's like totally OOC." Eck. lol So, just keep readin' and you'll soon find out you're not going crazy. Hehe.**

* * *

I couldn't believe it. I was free..

I stepped out into the light and took a deep breath. The air smelled like fresh flowers and even for me, that was a good surprise. I couldn't believe I was out of that nut house for good! Who would've guessed that that my family actually stood up for me for once? Hmph. Took they asses long enough.

I eyed my brother and grandfather. They were smiling. I shuddered at the sight because I've only seen Huey smile a few times in my life. But I couldn't think about that now. Because my ass was free, and that was all that mattered.

"We were so worried about you!", my granddad said as he kneeled to my level. I could tell he had been crying. Hehe, lil' bitch.

"Yeah..", my brother added as he walked towards me. "..If something would've happened to you, I wouldn't know how to go on!"

I chuckled. "I knew ya'll couldn't live without me.."

"I'm so glad you're okay.."

I turned towards that small voice and realized it was Chris. On the outside with me. They must've found a flaw in her being in there too. I raised a brow when she walked over towards me and smiled. But I couldn't take my eyes off of her attire. Why was she still dressed in white clothing..?

"What're you doin' out here..?", I managed to ask.

She didn't answer. Instead she got a little closer to me and wrapped her arms around my shoulders. My cheeks were stained red and I panicked. But.. I didn't push her off. I… didn't want to. She smiled again as her face got closer and closer to mine. I couldn't help but look into her brown eyes, wondering why she was doing this. Why _we _were doing this… Normally I would push her ass off of me, but I couldn't... Instead, I pulled her closer… and closer… until we finally…

"_BREAKFAST! WHOO!"_

I opened my eyes and looked around the small supply closet. What.. What was going on..? I rubbed my eyes and yawned, but it was cut short my footsteps running past the room I was in. I instantly got flashbacks of what happened last night. Damn! So you mean to tell me I was still in this place? And that me getting out was just a dream? Well, fuck me!

Wait.. The dream…

My eyes went wide and I shuddered when I thought back to it. "EWWW!", I said out loud. The fuck was I dreaming _THAT _for? I shook my head quickly, trying to erase that… nasty ass image from my mind. Riley Escobar ain't loving these hoes!

"What's the matter, kid? Lose your way to the cafeteria?"

I looked up and realized it was a guard in the doorway. He must've heard me shout.

"Uh… yeah..", I replied weakly as I stood up from off of the ground. My legs still kind of hurt from sleeping on the floor all night.

As he lead me out the room, I felt my heart skip a beat. The guard… he looked so familiar… like I've seen him sometime before..

Like… last night. In a patients room.

Ohh shit! It was the same pedophile nigga! I began to panic, but realized that he didn't recognize me from last night. I mean, it was so dark, how could he? I calmed down a bit but didn't hesitate to run with the rest of the crowd towards the cafeteria. There was no way I'd let that nigga come near me. He probably wanted some sweet, 8 year old boy dick!

Pause.

As I entered the cafeteria, one thing was on my mind. Well, two things. First, I had to find a way to choke down this nasty ass food again. And second, I wanted to see if Chris got away last night. If she did, I guess that's good. But if she didn't… eh, whatever.

Ay! Don't give me that look. Just cause she pushed me in a closet don't mean I owed the bitch anything. I could've got away myself if I felt like it..

After about 30 minutes of …"eating", I got up from my seat and held my stomach. That shit was bubbling and I tried not to let it come up again. How did these people eat this shit? It tasted like… like… Shit, I don't even know..

As I thought about how my insides were burning, I realized that the crowd started to move towards the outside play area. So, I followed. I ain't have nothing better to do. The plan was to act as calm as I could during the day, and make my move at night. But if some kid tried to smell me or some shit, fuck being calm; I'm beating some ass.

When I stepped outside, the sun's raze hit my face and I sighed. It was just like my dream… except I was still trapped in here. Like some sort of animal.

I watched as dozens of kids were running around laughing and smiling. Like they didn't even know they were in lockdown. How the hell could they be so happy in this place? The food sucked ass, the guards raped you in the middle of the night, and if you tried to leave, they'd shoot your ass. I couldn't see anything here that could make me crack a smile, let alone laugh. I shook my head at the thought. These kids were crazier than I thought..

As I walked deeper and deeper into the playground, I noticed one person standing alone near the back gate. It only took me a few seconds to realize who it was..

"Ohh shit!", I exclaimed as I walked quickly towards Chris. "You got away?"

She didn't even turn to face me. She just shrugged her shoulders and muttered a small "Yep.."

"Damn!", I continued. "It was like 10 niggas chasin' us! How'd you get rid of them?"

She didn't answer. She just sighed and shrugged her shoulders again.

I raised a brow when I noticed her behavior. She acted as if I wasn't even there. Like I didn't exist. The fuck was her problem?

"Ay, what's wrong with you?", I asked.

She was silent for a second. But she soon turned around to face me…

..And I couldn't keep my jaw from dropping..

Bruises. All over her face. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. They were a sickening dark purple and looked as if they were pulsating. I hardly recognized her. It reminded me of that time when Butch Magnus snuck me. My eyes were wide as dinner plates. I ain't know what to say..

So… what possessed me to reach out and touch her face..?

She yelped at my touch and edged back. It was obvious that she was in pain.

"What happened..?"

She looked away from me and shrugged her shoulders as if it didn't really matter. "I had to make sure they didn't find you, right?", she said in a small tone. Her face was so damaged, I guess she could hardly move her mouth.

I was shocked. What did she mean by that? "..What..?"

She sighed. "If I would've hid like you did, they would've got suspicious and checked rooms. So…", her voice trailed off and she lightly touched her face. It probably hurt to talk at all. "…I-I.. let them...", she flinched after her words.

"Damn..", I muttered as I eyed the ground.

What else could I say? She basically turned herself in just to make sure I ain't turn out like she did. I couldn't believe they just beat the shit out of her. She was just a kid... But.. I guess I should be glad that they ain't use the guns, right? Her face bruised… all because of me. …She had a lot of heart..

"Why…", I started. "…Why did you…", I just couldn't find the words to say.

She turned towards me and looked me straight in the eye. "Because... You don't belong here, Riley.."

I struggled to hear her words, but I managed to make them out. I couldn't believe my ears. She did it again. She called me by my real name. Was she serious? Or was that just another joke about me having lots of personalities?

"So, now you know I ain't Lamilton?", I asked.

She nodded.

"How?", I asked with a small smile.

Now, don't get me wrong. It was real fucked up that she got beat because of me, but I couldn't ignore the fact that I was happy as shit that she knew I wasn't crazy. But then again.. She was nothing but a patient in this place. What could she do?

"I could just tell..", she then turned and walked towards a small bench that stood near the fence. She sat down and I soon followed.

"But how?", I pressed on, sitting next to her.

"An idiot could see that you aren't like the rest of the kids here..", she nearly mumbled.

I couldn't argue with her there.

Part of me felt bad that I kept making her talk in her… fucked up condition. I mean, I could tell it hurt her even to say one word. But having someone finally understand me made me want to get as much info as I could.

"..About last night..", I started. Maybe I should apologize for what happened…

"Yeah..", she cut me off. "You were real stupid."

My eyes went wide and I instantly became angry. "WHAT!"

She crossed her arms. "What were you thinking? You were only here for one day and you tried to escape? You didn't even know where you were going. How the hell did you expect to get out?", she struggled on that last sentence. Her face had to be hurting after that rant.

I scowled. Just because she got beat up because of me ain't mean she could talk to me any type of way! "I ain't know where _I _was going?", I replied. "_You_ ran into _me, _remember?_"_

"If you weren't so busy watching that live action porno in Maria's room, maybe I could've avoided you.."

"…Live action..?", I thought about it. "..You know what happened to that girl?", I asked, dumbfounded.

Even though she could hardly move her face, she managed to chuckle a bit. "Happens every night. That's nothing new."

My eyes went wide. That was… fucked up. "..Damn.. So you don't even care?"

"Nope."

I couldn't believe it. I thought bitches was supposed to stick together when shit like that happened to them. I shook my head at the thought. "That's crazy..", I mumbled.

"No. What's crazy is you trying to leave here. Don't you remember what I told you yesterday? No one.. _ever _leaves.", she stated.

Even though she could hardly speak, the tone she used sent a chill down my spine. The way she said it just rubbed me the wrong way. But it did strike up a question.

"So… why did _you_ try all those times..?"

I could tell she was caught off guard by my question, because she gave me a surprised look for a split second and then looked away. "Well?", I continued. If she wanted to jump on _me _for trying to get out, I could jump on _her _ass for trying to do the same.

After a few seconds of silence, she finally answered. "Who… who told you that..?"

I grinned when I realized that I had her right where I wanted her. "Mhm..", I started. "Dr. Scott told me all about it. What now!"

She quickly looked towards me as if I had said something wrong. I noticed that she balled up her fists in the process. What did I say that was so bad? It was like her whole mood just changed. She was… _angry._

"Listen..", she began.

I saw her clench her eyes shut after that word. Didn't they have nurses here or something? 'Cause this chick was in pain.

"First rule here: _Don't_ believe everything you hear. Especially when it's coming from _his _mouth."

I heard the cold tone in her voice and it made me wonder why she was so angry all of a sudden. Yeah, the nigga was weird, but he seemed cool to me… You know, when he wasn't calling me Lamilton.. But I couldn't help but wonder why she seemed to hate him so much. What did he do to her?

"So… that's why you acted like that yesterday..?", I asked, curious.

I heard a small gasp come from her and she looked towards the mess of kids playing and running around. After a long pause, she still wouldn't answer me. I thought that was weird.

"Chris.", I said.

She was still silent. It was like she forgot I was there. She just kept staring forward as if she were in deep thought. Like she was daydreaming.

"Chris..", I repeated.

Silence.

"CHRIS!", I yelled.

"Shut up. I can hear you.", she said calmly.

"Well _answer _me, dammit!"

I was getting annoyed by her. There had to be a reason why she was acting so… crazy. And it was weird that she only did it when the doctor showed up. What was with her and this doc?

"How about _you _answer something for me?"

I was caught off guard by her question. Where was she going with this? "Uhh… okay..?"

"Do you think sane people stay here?", she asked in a low tone.

"What..?"

"You heard me.", she gave me a look.

What did she mean by that? Did she know something I didn't? "Um…Nah… I mean…", I began. She just confused the hell out of me. How the hell was I supposed to answer that?

"This is a mental hospital. For the insane. Do you think _normal_ people are allowed to stay here?"

"Uhh.. Nah, but.."

"So, if they knew you had no mental issues at all, do you think they would let you stay here?", she continued.

I could finally think of an answer. "Nah, cause you're already straight…", I replied.

It was then that I realized what the situation was. "..Like me…", I mumbled. "..So you sayin' that if they find out I'm normal, I could bounce?"

"Not necessarily…"

"Then what the fuck are you talking about?"

What the hell was up with this girl? She was confusing the fuck out of me. The shit she was saying just ain't add up. She _just_ said that they ain't allow normal people to stay at this shit hole. But now she's telling me that you can't leave if they _find out _you're normal? She must've got the holy shit beat out of her last night because I don't think her brain was functioning right.

She sighed. "I'm just saying… maybe acting crazy is the only way you can stay sane.."

Now… my head hurt. "What the hell are you talking about? That shit don't even make sense.", I rolled my eyes. "You startin' to sound like my brother…"

She shook her head at my words. "I don't expect you to understand right now.. But maybe everyone in here isn't as crazy as you think.."

"No shit..", I said referring to my situation.

I noticed that she had lowered her head. This chick had a lot of mood swings, but she ain't seem like the other kids in here. I still don't know why she acted that way when the doc came. She just avoided the hell out of that question. But even though she did some weird shit yesterday, I still ain't think she was crazy.. Why?… Shit, I don't know.

"So, why are you here?", I asked, curious.

She looked up. "What?"

"Why are you in here?", I repeated. "Are _you _crazy?"

She looked away. It was like every time she had to answer a certain question, she wouldn't look at me. Did she have something to hide?

"..Everyone's here for a reason.."

I raised a brow at her reply. She avoided a question again. It was like a bad habit. "What's _your_ reason, then?"

She opened her mouth to answer, but was cut off when she noticed that the kids started to move again. "…Med time.", she said as she stood up.

"What?"

She didn't answer. Instead, she started to walk away and follow the rest of the crowd. I followed close behind. I ain't know what was going on. Where were we going? And what did she mean by `Med time`? Everything about this girl, _and _this place, was confusing me to the fullest and I didn't know how to deal with it.

I followed close behind Chris and the group. We then walked in a white narrow hallway. It was so narrow, we had no choice but to walk in a single file line. And then, the line stopped. Confused, I looked over the crowd of kids and realized that a guard was in the front of the line giving out something for each kid to take. But I was so far away, I couldn't tell what it was.

Just as I was about to ask Chris what the hell was going on, she quickly turned towards me and looked me in the eyes. Although her face was bruised, I could see the frantic look in her eyes.

"Whatever you do..", she began. "_Don't _swallow the pills."

* * *

**If you got confused when Riley said "Pause". It's just something he started to say in the third season of The Boondocks. If something was gay, he'd go "PAUSE!"...**

**...That's the best way I can explain it. Haha.**


	7. Chapter 6

**I can't thank you guys enough for the reviews! You people are facking AWESOME! **

**Ahem..**

**Do you like Soul Eater? Because I have the first chapter of a twoshot I'm writing. Go check it out! :D**

* * *

Here she goes again. Confusing the hell out of me.

"Why?", I asked, shrugging my shoulders. "What's wrong with the pills?"

She adverted her eyes to the side. The look on her face told me that she was gonna make up a shitty excuse instead of telling me the truth. How did I know? Well, 'cause I made that face nearly all my life.

"Just _don't _swallow them.", She then turned around and moved up in the line.

I was still confused. I mean, I wasn't gonna take those pills anyway. Why should I? I ain't need them. But still.. Why was she so serious about me not taking them? Were they gonna make me sick or something?

"Look.", I heard her say. She still had her back turned to me so I couldn't see her face. "Put the pills on your tongue. And when you bring the cup of water towards your face, spit the pills inside the cup and drink the water _only._", she instructed. The line then moved up some more and we moved up with it. She sighed and continued. "…When you finish the water, _crush_ the cup and throw it in the trash. _Along _with the pills. Can you handle that?"

I raised a brow realizing that she must've done this shit before. "Uhh…I.."

She quickly turned towards me. "Can you _handle_ that?"

Now, I'ma be honest. The look on her face scared me a little. And those bruises she sported ain't make the situation better. She _really _didn't want me to take them. But I couldn't figure out why..

"Yeah, I got you.", I replied as the line moved up some more.

She then turned around and lowered her head. "..Good.."

After a few seconds of silence passed, I scratched my head, trying to break up this awkward moment. "So..", I began. "..If I take them… am I gonna get sick or somethin'?"

She didn't answer.

"I mean… my hair ain't gonna fall out or nothin' is it?", I continued.

She was still silent.

I raised a brow wondering why she was so quiet all of a sudden. So I tapped her shoulder trying to get her attention. "Ay..", I called.

My eyes went wide when she snatched away from me.

"Ay! What-"

I stopped short when I realized we were at the front of the line. And that the person who was giving out the pills was none other than Dr. Scott. She was doing it again. Acting all quiet in front of him. But why? Why did she always do this?

"Oh dear..", he began as he studied Chris' face. "..What happened, Christina?", His face looked concerned. Maybe he was gonna fire those guards for fucking her face up.

Chris was silent for a moment, her body shaking. Why was she always doing this? I made a mental note to bring this shit back up to her later.

"Come on, sweetheart.. You can tell me..", he pressed.

I raised a brow at his words. _'Sweetheart?'_

"I…I was...p-playing a-and I..", she started.

Why was she stuttering?

"..I-I fell down..", she continued.

I couldn't keep my jaw from dropping. She just lied her ass off. And it wasn't even a _good _lie! You can't get that many bruises on your face from 'falling down'. I shook my head at the thought. I knew Dr. Scott wasn't going to buy this bullshit.

"Oh Dear… You need to be more careful, Christina.."

….What?

"I-I'm sorry..", she lowered her head again.

He put a hand on her shoulder and handed her a tiny plastic cup. "Oh, it's fine, my dear.", he then gave her two pills. He smiled and continued. "…Just take these and you'll feel much better.."

"O-Okay..", she replied as she put the pills on her tongue.

I made sure to watch her closely.

After the pills were on her tongue, she brought the cup to her face and drank the water. I couldn't see if she took the pills or not, because her back was still turned towards me. But I _did _see her crush the cup and throw it in the trashcan near Dr. Scott. Did she take them..?

"Ahh, see? I bet you're feeling better already.", he said.

She didn't answer. She just nodded her head and walked down the hallway with the rest of the kids. I was lost in thought. All these questions went through my mind. Did she take those pills? Why didn't she want _me _to take them? And what is up with her and Scott? Damn, this shit was confusing and I didn't know how to deal with it.

"Next!"

I snapped out of my trance and walked up towards Scott. I hoped that I could follow her instructions. I mean they seemed easy enough, but I just hoped he wouldn't catch me slippin'.

"Ahh, Lamilton!", he said as if he were surprised to see me. "Are you enjoying your stay?", The smile on his face made he shudder.

"I guess.." , I adverted my eyes to the side. I still ain't like him calling me Lamilton, but I knew that no matter what I said, nobody would listen to me. Why waste my breath?

"Well, I'm sure you'll get used to it. It's not _that_ bad here.", he chuckled.

"..Whatever, bitch..", I mumbled.

"Excuse me?"

"Nothin'."

He then handed me the pills and the little plastic cup. I gulped when I realized the pills were a bright red color. What the hell were these for?

"I bet you're wondering what these are for.."

I looked up at him and nodded.

"They're my own invention.", he boasted as he pointed to himself. "Proven to cure what ever ails you. Now, I know you must've went through a lot in your past, but I bet you that when you start this treatment, you'll feel better than you ever have.", he smiled.

"Right…", I rolled my eyes. So what he was telling me was that these were miracle pills, huh? Psssh! I ain't believe that shit for one second. If they actually worked, he'd be rollin' in paper, not working in some mental hospital.

"Go ahead, Lamilton.", he urged.

I gulped and looked at the pills in my hand. Hopefully I could do this right. So without a second thought, I closed my eyes and put the pills on my tongue. I brought the water up to my face and spit the pills in the cup just like she said. As I began to drink the water, I opened one eye to see if Scott was watching me…

He was. He was watching me _hard_. So hard that I panicked…

And nearly choked when I felt the pills slide down my throat..

* * *

_Click…. Click…. Click…._

The clicking sounds from my mouse was beginning to annoy me. I could barely keep my eyes open. I've been at it all night. Searching for different authoritative places that Riley could be. I've checked everything. The Woodcrest Police Department, Wuncler Security, Local animal shelters… Everything! There was nothing about any recent arrests.

I rubbed my eyes. Both Granddad _and_ I were searching and asking around. But we couldn't find any information. I leaned back in my chair and sighed. Maybe if I just… closed my eyes for just a…. few seconds… I could get my head straight…

"_You've got mail!"_

I opened one eye and stared at the screen. My email had popped up with one new message from an unknown sender. I hesitated at first. I didn't know whether it was a virus or not. And if my computer contracted a virus, it would be in no condition to find my brother.

But still… something deep down in my gut told me to open it.. So I slowly took the mouse and clicked the button to open the email..

My eyes nearly popped out of my head when I saw what was on the screen.

It was Riley…

He was wrapped in a straight jacket and clearly unconscious. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. My blood instantly began to boil and I clenched up my fists at the sight. Whoever had my brother was going to _die. _And I meant it.

I scrolled down to see if there was any information about the photo, but there was nothing left. Nothing but some… initials?

_W.A._

"….W.A…", I said out loud. "Why does that sound so familiar..?"

* * *

I couldn't believe it! I swallowed them! DAMN! I started to panic. What was gonna happen to me? Was I gonna die? I'm too young and gangsta to die!

"You'll feel better soon enough..", I heard Scott say. But I knew his ass was lying. There _had _to be a reason Chris ain't want me taking these things. And I knew I was gonna find out why soon. Aww shit, I'ma die!

"Shit, shit shit…", I mumbled.

"Move along now, Lamilton. You're holding up the line.."

_Shit.._

As I began to walk down the hallway, my mind was racing fast as fuck. How was I gonna get out of _this_ one? I began to tremble in fear. Luckily, nobody was in the hallway to see me shaking. That wasn't a good look. Even in an asylum. I couldn't believe I was gonna die in here! Damn! There was so many things I wanted to do! So much paper I wanted to make! So many bitches I wanted to smack!

My thoughts were interrupted when I felt someone yank my arm. They pulled me in this room so fast, that I couldn't catch my footing. I fell hard on my ass as I heard a door slam. I looked around and noticed that I was in a bathroom.

"Ay! What the fuck!", I yelled.

"Shut up, it's me.", Chris replied.

My eyes went wide. "Chris! The fuck are you doing?", There was _no _way I would let her handle me like I was some kind of punk! She was lucky she snuck me, 'cause if I would've saw her, I would've..

"Did you take the pills?", she asked.

I gulped as I remembered my situation. Part of me ain't want to tell her I swallowed them. Mainly because I ain't want to know the truth… That I didn't have long left... So, I did what I would normally do in this situation..

"What? You think I'm stupid? Nah I ain't take them!", I lied. I stood up and crossed my arms. "And if you yank me someplace again, we gonna have some problems!"

"Riiight..", she shook her head.

She then walked up closer to me. She looked me up and down and raised a brow. What was she doing? I took a step back when I realized that we were in a bathroom. Alone. Ain't no telling what she was gonna do to me. _"Quite the unpredictable specimen…", _I remembered Scott's words. Was he telling the truth about her? Was she just as crazy as the rest of them? Damn! Why was she staring at me like that! I ain't know what to do!

I was surprised when she just stopped walking. Then what she said next shocked the hell out of me..

"You're lying to me.."

"..What?", I asked, dumbfounded.

"You took those pills, didn't you?"

I shook my head quickly. "I just _told _you I didn't!", My heart began to race. How did she know? I was sure she walked away before I took them. So she couldn't have saw me.

She shook her head. "I _told_ your stupid ass not to take them!", she exclaimed.

I balled up my fists in anger. "Bitch!", I yelled. "How would _you _know anyway!"

Her eyes went wide. I guess she was one of those females who ain't like to be called bitches. Heh, like I gave a fuck. She ain't know who she was fucking with. I knew this bitch had some issues that she needed to work out, but _nobody _was gonna disrespect me like that and not expect a comeback! I'm Young Reezy, nigga!

"How would I know..?", she chuckled.

I scowled. "You heard me."

"Look in the mirror."

"…What?"

She pointed. "Look in the _damn_ mirror."

I rolled my eyes and proceeded to walk towards one of the bathroom mirrors, mumbling insults as I went along.. "Lil' nappy headed bitch tryna tell me what to do..", I whispered as I stood in front of the mirror. I looked back at her and shook my head. What could I possibly see in the mirror that could prove that I took the pills? "…Dumb bitch..", I mumbled.

But when I turned back around and looked in that mirror… I couldn't hold back my gasp..

My eyes… What was wrong with my eyes..? They were jumping back and forth in a wild fashion and my pupils were abnormally bigger…

But that wasn't all..

I was… shaking. But it wasn't cold in the bathroom. I wasn't nervous. And I wasn't tired… So, what was wrong? I then brought my hands up to my face and examined them. Yep… they were shaking too. I just couldn't keep them still! I couldn't believe it. I then looked back towards Chris, only to find her staring at me in a cold manner.

"Dilated pupils, shifty eyes, tremors of the body", she explained. "Yeah, you took them alright..", she shook her head.

"What..", I began as I stared at my trembling hands. "What the fuck is happening to me?"

She scowled and pointed her finger at me. "…I told you not to take them. I _told _you. But you didn't listen to me…"

"..Am I.. gonna die..?", I asked knowing I was afraid to hear that answer.

My heart sank when she adverted her eyes to the side… I knew what that meant..

"Oh, shit! I'ma die! I know it!", I was completely panicked, but I couldn't help it. My body was shutting down right in front of my eyes and I couldn't do nothing about it! "I gotta get out of here! I aint dyin' in here! Young Reezy ain't dyin' in no crazy house!", My eyes went wide when I realized something.. "What would my niggas think of me? If they found out I died in her all 'cause of some pills, they gonna think I went out like a bitch! I ain't no bitch, man! Riley Escobar ain't no bitch!"

She rolled her eyes. "Shut up."

"..What chu' mean shut up! I'm dyin' and all you can say is 'shut up'? What the hell is your prob-"

"You're not gonna die you idiot…"

I blinked. "…What..?"

She crossed her arms. "The pills aren't deadly."

I sighed in relief. My heart beat went back to normal, and I started to breath steadily. But my eyes were still shifty and my body was still shaking.

"Then why you ain't say that sooner!", I yelled, kind of embarrassed that I allowed myself to lose control like I did.

She chuckled. "'Cause it was funny."

I face palmed.

"If they ain't deadly, how come I'm all shaky and shit!", I was getting angrier and angrier by the second.

Her face suddenly got serious. She then un-crossed her arms and leaned on the wall. "Remember when I told you no one ever leaves..?", she asked.

I walked over towards her, eager to hear what she head to say. "Yeah.. Why?"

"Why do you think that is..?", she asked.

She was doing it again. Answering me with another question. I sighed and shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know, 'cause the kids are too crazy?"

"What do you think _keeps _them crazy?", she asked.

"I don't..", I started. What did she mean..? And what did that have to do with why my body was shaking..?

…Wait..

My eyes went wide when I thought about what she was saying. Could she mean what I think she meant?… I gave her a look and she nodded in response. "..You sayin' the pills…", my voice trailed off.

"…Wow… your brain _does _work.", she replied.

I ignored her smart ass mouth. "…But Scott said.."

Her eyes went wide. "Didn't I tell you not to _listen_ to him? God, you're so freakin' hardheaded!", she exclaimed.

I scowled at her words. At this point I was tired of _all_ this shit. I was tired of this place. I was tired of these crazy ass kids. I was tired of these guards. And I was tired of this _girl. _But the one thing… the _one _thing I was _really _fucking tired of, was being confused. I quickly shook my head when I made up my mind. I gave Chris a look of death and I clenched up my fists. I could tell she was surprised, because she raised a brow.

"Look.., I began. I'm fuckin' _sick _of listenin' to your ass!"

Her eyes went wide. "…Excuse me..?"

"Shut up!", I exclaimed, making her jump. I clenched up my jaw and continued. "I don't know what your fuckin' problem is, but you're not tellin' me _nothin' _I need to know! Everything is a damn mystery with you!", I pointed my finger in her face and scowled. "..Either you tell me _everything _about you.. _and _this fucked up place, or I'm gonna tell Scott about that little act you be doin' in front of him. Now, make your choice, or I swear I'm gonna slap the shit out of you!", I crossed my arms and held my nose up in the air. It just needed to be said.

Chris was silent for a long while after that.

I looked towards her and noticed that her face was frozen in this shocked expression. I grinned at the sight. I must've scared her ass to death! Hmmph, that's what she gets. Tryna play me like that..

"….Fine."

I gave her a look. "…What?"

She looked at me and scowled. "Fine…", she repeated as she walked towards me. I inched back because the look on her face was an evil one. "I'll tell you _everything. Everything _you want to know.."

I cleared my throat and stood up straight. "Uh, yeah! That's what I thought!"

She nodded and turned away from me. "Meet me in here tonight at 12..."

I nodded. I was lucky I knew how to get here from my room. "Yeah, okay.."

She then started to walk towards the door. She grabbed the handle and began to pull, but she stopped. "Oh, and Riley..", she started.

"What?", I rolled my eyes. What could she possibly have to say now?

"…After I tell you this… There's no turning back.."

She then left the bathroom, having the door slam right behind her.

I was still shaking.. Not only from the pills… But from the horrifying tone she used.


	8. Chapter 7

**Eh, that last chapter sucked. Haha, anyway. This chapter is a tad long. It goes into detail about the asylum, Scott, and Chris. You know, just trying to give you as much information without... giving anything juicy away. -wink- **

**...Lets just say ...Shit just got real.**

* * *

Hours had went by, and I _still _couldn't stop shaking.

I was lucky that you had the choice of going to your room whenever you wanted, 'cause I wasn't about to let those fools see me like this. They probably would've welcomed me to their "special" club. And trust me, I _wasn't_ having that shit. The first thing I did when I got back to my room was take a long shower. And I mean a _loong _ass shower. I was around these crazy people all day and I ain't want their… essence to rub off on me. But even after the shower I felt dirty. And to make it worse, my body never stopped shaking.

So here I am now laying in my bed, waiting for the clock to hit 12. It was already 11:55 and believe me, I couldn't _wait _to meet Chris. I was finally gonna know everything about this fucked up place. Not to mention finding out when and how this damn shaking was gonna wear off.

I jumped a bit when I heard a loud rumbling sound outside. The storm started a few hours after I left the bathroom and the rain was pouring hard. But shit, I'd rather be out there than in here. I looked back towards the clock and it read 11:59pm.

Might as well leave.

I got out of the bed and checked the window on my door. No one was out there, so I could make my move. I shook my head at the thought. All this reminded me of the first time I tried to leave. And if that crazy chick wouldn't have ran her ass into me, I'd be at home playing my Playstation by now.

I opened the door and looked left, then right. Still no one there. Luckily the bathroom we were supposed to meet in was right on the next hallway so I ain't have to walk a lot. I turned to my right and walked down the hallway silently. When I turned the corner, I instantly felt the knob to the bathroom, so I turned it and stepped inside..

It was so brightly lit that I had to shield my eyes a bit, but I still could tell that it was empty.

I looked around in all the stalls only to find that I was right. She wasn't even here yet! That's just like a female, always being late for something important. I rolled my eyes and leaned on the wall. If she wasn't here in the next few minutes, I was gonna be out.

My body still shook like a leaf and I was tired as shit. I wasn't about to be here all night waiting for no girl. So, making up my mind, I got off the wall and walked towards the door. I couldn't believe she just played me like that. Hmph, well she was gonna get hers. I ain't wanna be no snitch, but this hoe was messing with my freedom. So as soon as I saw Dr. Scott, I was gonna tell him what was up. And I ain't give a fuck about how she felt about it. Got me waiting up all night for her ass.

I was so pissed, I nearly yanked the door off of it's hinges. But I couldn't go anywhere, because a dark figure was standing in front of me.

"Oh shit!", I jumped back and nearly fell on the floor.

"Oh!", I heard a voice yelp.

I instantly recognized it. I looked up at her and shook my head. "You lucky. 'Cause I was 'bout to snitch on your ass..", I stood up and brushed my self off.

I watched as Chris closed the door. "Sorry..", she said as she walked over to one of the sinks. She then ran the water and splashed it in her face.

I gave her a look. "What's wrong with you?"

She sighed and looked at me. "After I left you earlier, I went back to my room and fell asleep.. I set my alarm to go off at 12, but I'm still tired..", She rubbed her eyes and walked back towards the door.

I crossed my arms. "Well..?"

She sat down in front of the door and looked up at me. "..Well what?"

I narrowed my eyes. "…Don't play with me."

She sighed and looked towards the floor. "Fine..", she mumbled. She then looked back up towards me and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "So, what do you wanna know?"

I grinned. "Everything."

"Yep. That really narrows it down."

She had a point. "Aight, Aight… When will all this shaking stop?", I asked as I sat in front of her.

"A few days. Next question."

I gave her a look. "Ay! Hold up!"

She stared at me. "What? You asked me, and I answered. _Next... Question_."

I looked at her like she was crazy. This chick was trying to play me. But that's aight. I had something for that ass. "You now what..?", I stood up. "…You tryin' to mess with me right now. And I aint in the damn mood…", I walked towards the door and grabbed the knob. "You don't wanna tell me nothin', that's on you. Let's see how Scott feels about all that bullshittin' you be doin'.", I chuckled and began to turn the knob when..

"…Wait.."

Got her.

I looked down at her and put a hand towards my ear. "Excuse me? You say somethin'?"

She looked up at me and scowled. "Just… shut up and sit down."

"Yeah, that's what I thought."

I sat down in my original spot and stared at her, waiting for her to say something. But she just stared back at me. "I ain't got all night.", I urged.

She sighed and looked away. "..The pills..", she began. I listened hard. "They… attack the nervous system.."

Maybe I should've paid more attention in school, cause I ain't know what a nervous system was. "..Wha..?"

She sighed as if she were annoyed. "It makes you shake."

"Oh."

I looked down at my shaking hands and them back up at her. I noticed she was looking at them too. She said it would wear off in a few days, but I still found it weird that she knew so much. I know she aint been in school for a while, so how did she know about all this nervous system shit? Maybe I should ask her..

"..How do you know about all that?"

She rubbed her eyes again and chuckled a bit. "That's a long story.."

It was then that I got comfortable on that bathroom floor, because I was prepared to hear this shit. When I said I wanted to know everything, I meant _everything. _Maybe I could finally understand what the fuck was going on with this place.. _and _her. SoI ain't care how long it was. The longer the better.

Pause.

"We got time.", I replied.

She gave me a look and sighed. "Fine..", I watched as she adjusted her position on the floor. I could tell by her motions that this was gonna be a long one.

Pause again.

She was silent for a minute. The look on her face told me that she was trying to get her thoughts together. "I.. don't know where to start…", her voice trailed off.

I started to get annoyed. "Come on.."

She glared at me. "Shut up!", She then looked in the air like she was in deep thought and after a few more seconds, she finally spoke. "Okay…", she began.

I leaned in a little closer.

"..A few years ago… this place was full of kids. Even more than there are now. When I first got here.. I was scared because I didn't know anybody.. But all the kids were really nice..", she smiled as she recalled.

"A few years ago..?", I asked. "How long have you been here..?"

She thought for a moment and yawned. "Since… I was five."

My eyes went wide at her words. "So that's…"

"Three years.", she confirmed.

I couldn't believe it. How did she deal with this place for three whole years? I've only been here a few days and I couldn't _wait _to leave. I just don't know how she did it.

"So… you tellin' me… that you had to deal with these crazy kids for three whole years?", I asked, dumbfounded.

"Well, like I said, the kids were really nice.."

"Fuck that being nice shit. I know _I_ couldn't deal with these crazy fools for that long. Especially when they be screamin' for no reason. Runnin' around in circles and shit.", I stated.

She gave me a look. "Well… it wasn't like that when I got here.."

"How..?

She shrugged her shoulders. "Things were actually legit. No guards with guns. No nasty food. And… no crazy pills.."

My eyes went wide. Did I hear her right? "..For real? No pills at all?"

"Well… there _were_ pills… but they're different from the ones you took…..", she replied.

"…How?"

She chuckled. "They actually _worked_."

I raised a brow, confused. "How? I mean, they're some shit now, but how come they worked back then?"

She lowered her eyes towards the ground and was silent. But after a few seconds, she finally answered. "Because… my dad made them..."

"Oh naw!", I exclaimed, surprised. "Your pops, though?"

"Mhm…", she replied. "My dad made certain medicines for lots of problems.. Along with _Scott._.", Her eyes narrowed in anger after she said his name.

"Scott?", I asked. "What's he got to do with it?"

"Scott was still in charge of the asylum even before I got here. He worked with my dad sometimes making different medicines. He would deliver the ones that dad made here so the kids could get their minds straight… And they actually worked..", she explained. "They said it was a breakthrough in medicine.."

"Damn, so your pops had that paper!", I exclaimed. "Where he at now? Probably out in Cali somewhere spendin' that shit, right? Right?"

She chuckled. "Nope."

My jaw dropped. "What! Why? 'Cause if it was me, I'd have like 16 cars and 12 houses... And bitches! What's wrong with him?" I asked, surprised. "Why he ain't Rick Rossin' it? Livin' the life! He got anotha' baby mama or somethin'?"

"Nope."

I looked at her like she was crazy. "Then what's the problem? Why he ain't doin' it big!", I exclaimed.

"Because he's dead."

I watched as she brought her knees up to her chest and rested her head on them. I saw the hurt look she had on her face and… it made me feel like shit. Damn.. Why did I say all that..

"…Oh..", I rubbed the back of my head awkwardly. "Uhh… my bad..", I mumbled.

She sighed "It's okay... Anyway..", she rubbed her eyes again. I could tell she was tired. "Scott and my dad were really close, so… after he died, Scott continued giving the medicine to the kids claiming that he `wanted my dad to live on through his work`."

I watched as she rolled her eyes and scowled. But I ain't know why. From what she was saying, Scott seemed like a good person.. Why did she hate him so much..? "So.. What happened?", I asked wanting to know more.

"The pills still worked. _That's _what happened."

I gave her a confused look. Wasn't the pills working a good thing? What did she mean? I scratched my head at the thought. "I don't get it.", I admitted.

"The more he used the pills, the more kids started to get better… And when kids started to get better, it meant that they didn't need to be here anymore..", she then started to fiddle with her wristband. "…If kids didn't need to be here, Scott wasn't making any money.."

"But the pills worked.", I stated. "..He ain't make money off of that?"

"He couldn't. My dad made it so that all the proceeds from the pills went to the bank. And since it was _his _invention, Scott wasn't allowed to touch it.", she giggled a bit.

_Oh yeah, that made her laugh. _"Dang… that's fucked up seeing as though he helped your dad make them.", I said.

She gave me a look. "Helped him? Heh, all Scott did was test them on the kids here. He was an errand boy.", she corrected.

I shook my head. "So.. Why do you hate him?"

"Who, Scott?"

I rolled my eyes. "Nah, Gangstalicious."

"…Gangsta-who?"

"Ugh! Scott! Why do you hate Scott?"

"Oh..", she started. "Well, I didn't hate him at first… When I got here, he was so nice to me. I lo-..liked him a lot.", she adverted her eyes to the side.

"So what happened that pissed you off so bad?", I asked, wanting her to just spit the shit out.

"After a few months of using my dad's pills, less and less kids started being admitted here. Scott lost almost all his money.. I could tell because the whole place started to fall apart. Workers quit because Scott couldn't pay them. So he couldn't keep the place clean and the food started to suck. He was basically losing everything he worked for.. So..", her voice trailed off.

"So what?", I urged.

"So.. He found a way to _keep _the kids here."

Damn… this story was starting to get good. I needed to know more.

She sighed and continued. "So, one day he suddenly announces that he has a new pill. That it was even better than the old ones. I didn't even question it because I knew he worked with medicine anyway..", she shook her head. "…I was so _stupid _for believing him."

"So what happened?", I asked.

"I took them.."

"And..?"

"I looked liked you. Shaking, twitchy eyes…", she shook her head. "My hair even started to fall out."

_That explains the nappyness. _

"I didn't know what was wrong with me…", she continued. "That is… until the rest of the kids started to show the same side effects. I realized that none of this happened until Scott gave us these pills… So I did a little experiment.. I stopped taking the pills for a while… just to see what would happen.."

"And what happened..?", I asked.

"I started to get better… while everyone else got worse..", she sighed and lowered her head. "When I told the kids about it, they thought I was being paranoid… So, they didn't listen… and..", she paused.

"And what..?"

She looked up at me with saddened eyes. "Lets just say that after a few more weeks of taking them… they couldn't even remember my name..", she fiddled with her wristband again.

"The pills do all that?", I asked, looking down at my shaking hands.

"If you take them long enough.."

"So what chu' do after that?"

She gave me a look. "What did I do? I tried to leave!", she said as she flailed her arms in the air. "One night, I snuck out of my room and tried to get out of here… so I could tell everybody what Scott was doing to us. But… I didn't get far.."

"You didn't?"

"Nope.", she rubbed her eyes again. I didn't know what time it was, but I knew she was really tired.. And so was I. But I had to know the end to this story..

"I got caught… by Scott.", she clenched up her fists. "But when he asked me what I was doing, I panicked and played the insanity card. I pretended to be like the rest. Dazed and Confused. I told him…", she thought for a moment. "Oh yeah.. I told him that I `w-wanted t-to… see the s-sun..`", she imitated in her `crazy` voice she always used.

"So..?", I urged. "What did he do?"

She giggled. "The idiot actually believed me. So, I've been doing it ever since. Every time I was near him, and every time I tried to get out, I put on that little act.. And he always believed me.."

I raised a brow. "So, if he believes you, why are all the guards strapped?"

She looked away from me. "Now… that's the thing. Somehow.. Scott got suspicious of me and… I think he authorized all the guards to have guns to scare me, and everybody else, out of trying to leave.."

"But… _you_ still try?", I asked.

"Duh."

"Well, why didn't you just tell him you stopped taking the pills?"

She looked at me and gave me the strangest expression. "Because I was afraid of what he would do to me… If I got out and told everyone that he was purposely keeping kids crazy just to keep this place open… I knew he would find me… and..", her voice trailed off.

"How would he find you?", I asked.

She wouldn't look at me. "He just would…"

I found that weird, but I ain't want to question it. She obviously knew more than I did about him. I looked at her and noticed she stopped talking. And I realized that she was finally finished telling me everything… and I couldn't believe it. I swear I couldn't. I mean… she had to deal with all this shit for three years? Her pops dying, Scott trying to turn her brain into mush, having to pretend to be like the rest of the kids here? Damn.. I ain't never heard nothin' like this before..

I just… stared at her for a while. Taking it all in. Even though she had told me everything about this place… and Scott, I still felt like I ain't know it all yet. I still had one question left… Just one. And I knew she knew what it was, because she was now looking at me.. Like she was waiting for me to ask it.. So without another second to waste, I took a deep breath… and..

"So, why are _you _here?"

Her expression ain't change. She just stared at me… And she wouldn't stop. We were both quiet for a few minutes. Just staring each other down like we was trying to see into each other's mind or somethin'. I knew she was trying to figure out whether she wanted to tell me or not. But shit, she told me all this. So there was no reason she couldn't answer this last question.

I think she just thought the same thing, because she finally blinked and looked towards the side; something she did a lot… But this time was different, because she was grinning… A creepy grin.. It made a chill go down my spine. It was a few seconds before she finally turned back towards me. The grin was still there... And what she said next made me regret ever asking her..

"...Are you easily scared, Riley?"


	9. Chapter 8

**Wow. I literally sat at this computer for an _hour_ trying to figure out how to start this bad boy off. That's the thing with me. It's always hard starting off. xD Anyway. Thank you to all who reviewed and _kept _reviewing everytime I updated. It really means alot to me. :)**

**Pssssst. I have a present for you all. ...I know what you're thinking.. But sorry, it's not midget strippers. Tsk, Tsk.**

**It's mah face! :D No, seriously. You all get to see what I look like! Go on my page and check it out. :D**

**Oh, and as for the story... It's about.. to go.. _DOWN. _-in me Kevin Hart voice.-**

* * *

I didn't answer. I mean… I _couldn't _answer.

"Uhh.. What?", I asked even though I heard her clearly.

I watched as she shook her head. "Stop being a punk and answer me."

My eyes went wide. "What!", I exclaimed. "Young Reezy ain't no punk!", I pointed to myself in response.

"Well…?"

I shook my head. What the hell was she trying to prove? "Nah, I don't get scared."

"Right..", she said as she crossed her arms.

The look she had on her face make me nervous. It was like her whole attitude changed in just a few seconds. I knew hoes had mood swings and whatnot… but _her _mood swings were different… They were scary. But shit, I ain't never gonna tell her that.

"Why you ask me that?", I asked, curious.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I ask everybody that."

"Why..?"

She grinned. "I dunno.."

Okay, she _was _starting to rub me the wrong way. But that aint make me wanna stop grilling her with questions. "Just.. tell me why you here", I urged. "What? Is it another `long story`?", I used air quotations on those last two words.

"Nope.", she replied. "Can I ask you something first?", She looked at me and smiled.

I raised a brow. "Uhh… yeah, I guess.."

"Who do you have on the outside, Riley..?"

"What..?"

She giggled. "Any family? Friends?"

I rubbed the back of my neck uncomfortably. "…Yeah.. Why?", I asked. Where was she going with this..?

"A mom and dad..?", she asked.

I shook my head. "Nah.. I got a granddad and a brotha'."

Her eyes lowered. "Oh..", She then looked back up at me. "What about your parents..?"

My eyes went wide. No one had ever asked me about my parents before. And honestly, I ain't know how to answer her. I mean… _should_ I answer her? I never liked talking about my parents… mainly 'cause I could hardly remember them. I looked over towards her and realized she was waiting for me to answer. So I decided just to tell her. She told me all this shit earlier, so.. It was the least I could do.

"…I don't remember my pops..", I began as I adverted my eyes to the side. "..He left when I was littler.." I sighed. Damn… was I _really_ telling her this..?

"What about your mom?", she asked.

I thought for a moment. I could remember her face a little, but not completely. I've always been jealous of Huey, because since he was older than me, he had more time with her than I did. But I _did _remember one little fact…

"She was a hoe..."

I watched as she held her mouth, trying to hold back her laughter. I sucked my teeth at the sight. The fuck was so funny? "What!", I yelled.

She giggled. "..T-The way you said it… It…It was funny..", she laughed some more. She then shook her head. "Okay, okay… sorry. I'm sorry..", she cleared her throat. "…C-continue."

I gave her an evil glare.

She shrugged. "What? You have to admit that was a little extreme."

"But I was serious… She _was _a hoe. I remember her bringin' all kids of niggas to our apartment in the middle of the night. And _none _of them was my pops."

I balled up my fists in anger. _This _was why I ain't like to talk about my parents. I guessed she saw the serious look on my face 'cause she stopped laughing.

"Well… what happened to her..?, she asked, sitting on her knees.

I crossed my arms and looked to the side. "I dunno. One day we woke up and she was gone..", I mumbled. "…Me and my brotha' went to go stay with my Aunt Cookie, and after we got older, we moved here to stay with my granddad.", I shook my head at the thought. I hated talking about that bitch. I _swear_ I did. I ain't even care that she left us. We ain't need her! She never did nothing for us. _Nothing! _They're _all_ the same..

"…Did you love her..?"

I gave her a surprised look. That question caught me off guard. "…What?"

She cocked her head to the side. "Did you love her?", she repeated.

I pouted and crossed my arms. "Nope."

"Why..?"

I sucked my teeth. "Hard to love someone that neva' loved you.."

She was silent for a second. I sighed. I ain't really mean for it to come out like that. It made me sound like a lil' punk that just wanted to be loved by his 'mommy'. Hmph. _Fuck _love. The only thing I loved was my paper. And that's how it was always gonna be. I looked over at Chris and she looked as if she was in deep thought.

"What about _your _parents..?", I asked.

She snapped out of her trance and smiled widely. I watched as she looked up towards the ceiling as if she was thinking about something that made her happy.

She sighed. "My parents were… great..", she began. "I knew that if I had a problem, they would always be there to help me out.."

Hm. That was more than I could say about my granddad and my bitch ass brother. I've been in here for days and they _still _ain't show up to get me out. I shook my head at the thought and looked back towards Chris. She was still smiling and looking towards the ceiling. She then blinked twice and looked back towards me.

"…I remember we always went to the movies… every Saturday…", her voice trailed off. She blinked. She then began to shake her head violently as if something was wrong.

I gave her a look. What was going on…?

"No… No… wait. It was… every Friday..", she snapped her fingers. "E-Every Friday night… yeah… that's it..", she squeezed her eyes shut and continued to shake her head.

I looked at her like she was crazy. "Uhh.. You aight..?", I asked.

She suddenly stopped shaking her head. She then looked at me with a smile as if nothing was wrong. "I'm fine, Riley. Why do you ask..?", she gave me a curious look.

I gulped. "…No reason.."

She then looked back towards the ceiling and smiled again. But this time… it was different. Her smile was… off. That was the best way I could explain it..

"…My dad used to always call me his `Little Scientist.`", she giggled. "We used to always do little experiments in the kitchen with food… No…No..", she grabbed her head like she had a headache. "…No.. it was with… water…", she continued. She then snapped her fingers again as if she were trying to remember. "No!…No.. it _was _with food. I know 'c-cause mom would always get mad at us for messing up the kitchen…"

I watched as she blinked her eyes quickly and scratched her head furiously. I ain't know what was going on with her, but the shit was starting to scare me.

"..Anyway..", she continued with a smile. "..Mom would always dress me up in cute dresses. She would put make-up on my face and call me `her angel`.", she giggled. "Wait…no. She used to call me…", she shook her head. "She… she called me...", I watched as she hit her forehead with the palm of her hand repeatedly. That's when I panicked.

"Ay! The hell are you doing, stupid!", I reached over and grabbed her hand. "You already got bruises! You want more!", I exclaimed.

She looked up at me like she was ready to cry. "I…", she began. "I can't remember what she called me…", she yanked her hand back and shook her head once more. She looked over at me with a worried expression. "..What did she call me, Riley…?"

My eyes went wide at her question. What was going on with her? Scott was nowhere around us, so why was she acting like this? I looked at her and opened my mouth to say something, but no words came out.

"..I-I can't remember that…", she nearly whispered. Suddenly, she looked up at me with a smile. "..But I _do _remember something.."

My mouth was still hanging open, so I took that as an opportunity to finally speak. "…W-What..?", I asked; my voice cracking. I was nervous as hell. I ain't know what she was gonna do or say next.

"…I remember what happened that night before I was admitted here…", her voice trailed off and she looked towards the ground with a sigh.

I couldn't believe this shit. I just… couldn't believe it… Her voice. It just… went back to normal. Just like that. That fast. I looked at her and noticed she was fiddling with her wristband again. Words couldn't explain the look I had on my face right now.

She looked up at me and raised a brow. "..Uhh… What's wrong with you..?", she asked, giving me a look.

My jaw dropped. Was she serious? "What's wrong with _me? _The question is, What's wrong with _you!" _, I pointed at her to emphasize my statement.

"…What are you talking about?", she asked.

"All that shit you just said about your parents goin' to the movies every Friday?", I repeated her words.

"…Um…What?"

My eyes went wide. "You gotta be fuckin' kiddin' me.", I groaned. "..About your mom puttin' you in dresses and she always called you a name? Then you started beatin' yourself up cause you couldn't remember..?", I repeated everything she had just told me. So why was she looking at me like _I _was the crazy one?

"…What are you talking about..?", she asked as she cocked her head to the side. "I didn't say any of that."

I couldn't believe it. I couldn't fucking believe it. She was playing with me. Yeah, that _had _to be it. "Come on, man.. Stop playin'.", I sighed, getting annoyed by her games. "You _know_ you just said that shit."

She gave me the most confused expression ever. "I didn't say that..", she repeated.

I was getting pissed. "What the fu-"

"Look.", she cut me off. "You asked me about my parents, and I told you they were great and that they always helped me out. That's all I said.", she chuckled a bit. "We hardly ever went to the movies because Dad always had to work.", she explained. "And I hate dresses." She shook her head and inched towards me. She then put her hand on my forehead. "…Maybe the pills are having you imagine things…"

I quickly yanked her hand off of my head. I knew damn well the pills wasn't the problem. It was _her. _I gave her a look and scowled. She wanted to play dumb, but I wasn't gonna let her do it.

"So, what happened `that night`?", I asked, repeating her last sentence before she started fucking around.

Her eyes suddenly went wide at my question. "..W-What..?"

Oh yeah, I had her ass now. "That night before you got here. What happened?", I asked. I couldn't hold back my grin. The look on her face was priceless.

Her face suddenly got angry. "…Who told you that?", she clenched up her fists. "It was Scott wasn't it?"

"No.", I replied. "_You_ told me."

"I _never _told you _anything."_

Now… that's when I calmed down a bit. The look on her face… it was so serious. Like she actually couldn't remember all that stuff she just said to me. Was _that _why she was in here? 'Cause she had these… "moments"? But her dad was a scientist… So he could've helped her, right? All that stuff she said about the movies and dresses weren't true… But that thing she said about the night before she got here _was. _So…what happened..?

"Chris."

She rolled her eyes. "What?"

I stared at her. "Tell me why you're here." I didn't ask. I _demanded_.

She started to do it again. She grinned that same, creepy grin. She then shrugged her shoulders. "Fine.. Since you wanna know so bad."

I gulped silently. "I'm listenin'."

"Well, it's kind of a short story…", she began.

_Thank God._

"Well… one night while I was sleeping, I had a nightmare. So, I woke up and decided to go into my parents room…", she stated.

I shook my head. "You sleep with your parents when you have nightmares? That ain't a good look..", I replied.

She glared at me. "Shut up! I was only 5! …Anyway..", she looked to the side. "I climbed in between them and went to sleep. And that was that.."

"…That's it?", I asked, surprised.

She looked back towards me. "Well… the _real _drama happened the next morning.."

"…What happened then?", I asked, annoyed. I wished she would stop going around in circles all the time. It was really getting on my nerves.

She looked towards the ground and sighed. "Well.. That morning, someone yanked me out of the bed…", she looked up at me.

"Who..?", I asked.

"The police."

I watched as she brought her knees up to her chest. "They… kept asking me what happened… over and over again. And I didn't know what they were talking about… until… I looked over at the bed…"

"Okay…What was on the bed?"

She rested a hand on her forehead and shook her head. "My parents but..", she paused.

"But…", I urged her to continue.

"…Blood.", she replied.

I didn't understand. "What..?"

She looked up at me. "Blood… all over the bed. Someone…", she rubbed her head. "…Someone stabbed them.", I watched as she closed her eyes. Probably trying not to cry in front of me. But.. I wouldn't have blamed her..

I was stunned. "Damn…But... you were in the bed, right? How did they do it..?"

She opened her eyes. "..That's what the police wanted to know. They… They said someone called earlier that morning saying they heard a scream… But.. I didn't hear anything.." I could see tears forming in her eyes as she talked.

I ain't know what to say. That was a lot to go through. Actually seeing her parents all stabbed up right in your face… Wait..

My eyes went wide when I realized something. Chris started acting all crazy when I asked her about her parents. And a few seconds later, she couldn't remember anything. Could that be because she was so traumatized as a little girl? I mean, seeing your parents dead in front of you is…is… damn, I ain't even have a word for it. But I knew it was enough to drive anyone crazy. It was… finally making sense. I lowered my head towards the ground. I actually felt… sorry for her..

"..They took me to the police station after that.. Since I didn't have anywhere else to stay..", she continued.

I felt like shit. Seeing her parents dead obviously had an effect on her… and I ain't wanna make her go through that again. I got a little taste of her condition earlier… and I ain't want her to have another breakdown. So, I decided that we were done for the night..

"Look..", I began. "You don't have to tell-"

"And that's when I had the dream.."

I gave her a look. "…Dream..?", I asked.

"When I got to the police station, they put me in a room so I could get some rest… and when I fell asleep… I had this dream… about my parents..", she looked towards the ground.

"And…?", I asked, wanting her to continue. I know I was about to tell her to stop but…I was _really… REALLY _curious about this situation. I mean, could you blame me?

"The dream… it..", she sighed. "It helped me remember.."

"Remember what?"

"..What happened..", she replied. She then held her legs close to her and lied her head on them. "…That night… my parents were arguing as usual. I could hear them while I was in my room… I could _always _hear them. And no matter how many times I covered my ears, I could still hear their voices.."

"What were they arguing about..?", I asked.

"Quality time with me, my dad working all the time, my mom not supporting him in his studies. It was different every night.. Ever since my Dad made that medicine, he's been so busy and we hardly saw him..", she sighed. "…But _that_ night… they were nearly _fighting. _I couldn't take it anymore.."

I gave her a look. "Did they ever stop?"

"They fell asleep eventually… but… it was too late. It… was just too late..", she replied as she looked towards me with a grin.

I didn't understand what she was saying. "..Too late?", I asked. "Too late for what?"

"I wanted them to stop fighting all the time.. To stop being so angry with each other…", her voice trailed off and she looked towards the wall and smiled.

She still didn't answer my question. "Chris. ..Too late for what..?", I repeated.

"I just wanted us to be a family again. For them to be happy all the time…", she looked as if she were in a daze. Like she forgot I was there.

"Chris.", I called.

"I wanted to stop the all the arguing… all the fighting… for _good."_

"Chris.", I repeated.

"So.. I went into the kitchen…"

"…Chris."

"And… I grabbed something…"

"Chris.."

"..It… it was so shiny…", she giggled strangely. "..Like a diamond… a huge, sharp diamond..."

I was beginning to get scared. She was smiling the whole time and acting so weird. She never answered me. She just kept telling me this story. This.. _horror _story.

"I wanted my parents to see the diamond too…" she continued with a chuckle.

"Ay.. Chris..?", I reached over to tap her, but she quickly grabbed my hand and squeezed it. She squeezed it _hard. _

I tried to yank it back, but she got so strong all of a sudden. My heart felt like it was gonna pop out of my chest.

"I brought the diamond in their room to show them how pretty it was..", she grinned wider. "But… they had their eyes closed…", she released her grip on my hand and I quickly edged away from her.

"Chris! What's wrong!", I asked as I backed away farther and farther from her.

She just kept grinning. "I… didn't want them to be closed…so I made them open… I made them open _wide._", she laughed.

My heart stopped. Did she…?

"The diamond turned red…", she smiled.

She _did.._

"They didn't argue anymore.", she smiled widely. "It was finally quiet. …Finally… quiet…", she looked towards me. "Wanna know the best part?", she asked.

I was silent. I was scared.

"The best part was that.. they were finally happy! They were! I could tell 'cause their eyes were wide like they were excited.."

It was then that I realized I had to get out of this bathroom. I looked left, then right, but the only exit was the door we came in through. The door that she was sitting right in front of. My heart beat accelerated. I was trapped in here. Trapped with a crazy bitch who stabbed up her parents. _"Quite the unpredictable specimin…", _Scott's words kept ringing in my ears. He was telling the truth.. Why didn't I listen..?

"Well… now you know, Riley.."

I looked towards her and realized that she was grinning at me. A maniacal grin.

"Now…there's no turning back….", she continued.

I watched in horror as she stood up from her original spot on the floor. I remembered her saying that earlier. Why didn't I realize it sooner? Why didn't I realize that it was a _warning?_ Her face was now blank. I couldn't read it. All I knew was that she was staring at me. Staring at me _hard._

"…There's only one thing to do now.."

I gasped when she started walking towards me. I stood up and took a few steps back, but she was still coming in my direction. I couldn't run around her, because there were urinals jetting from the wall and I couldn't squeeze through. I began to breath heavily when she got closer… and closer. I stepped back further until…

_THONK._

My back hit the wall.

I was cornered. I couldn't go anywhere. I couldn't escape… And she was getting closer. What was she gonna do to me..? Kill me like she did her parents? I knew she was capable. Because if she didn't care about her parents, I know she ain't give a fuck about me. I held my breath when she stopped.

She now stood inches away from me.

Inches turned to centimeters.

She then reached up both of her arms towards me…

And I closed my eyes..

Because I knew what was gonna happen next…


	10. Chapter 9

**Okay, before you yell at me for taking SOOO long to update this, I MUST explain why. Okay, here it is:**

**...I didn't feel like it. :) Lmao That, and I caught a serious case of writers block. I literally sat at my computer like, "OKAY! LET'S DO THIIIS!" *puts hands on keys* "...Uhh..." _**

**So, yeah! Don't get mad at me! I sowwy! And to make it up to you guys, I shall give EACH of you a lapdance! ...From Chuck Norris! :D Cool huh?**

**Haha, anyway. This chapter is kind of shorter than the other ones. But I think it leaves you in a feeling of suspense. There is SOOOO much more that you have to find out. *wink***

* * *

I winced as I felt a pair of hands grab my shoulder. What was she gonna do to me? I waited… waited for the pain that I was about to feel. I just waited…

And waited.

…Nothing.

Confused, I cautiously opened one eye only to find Chris staring at me with a worried expression. I ain't know what to say. We just stared at each other in silence. It was an eerie silence…

"…I'm sorry."

My eyes went wide at her words. Was I hearing her right? I struggled to speak. To breathe!

"I'm sorry, Riley..", she repeated as she looked towards the ground.

"…I should've told you everything sooner.."

I felt her grip on my shoulders loosen, but that didn't stop the expression that I had on my face. Shit, I was scared! This bitch killed her parents and now she's looking at me like nothing happened. Like she ain't just go crazy right in front of my eyes a few seconds ago.

"…It…It…It's c-cool..", I stuttered as I felt a bead of sweat form at my temple. But I was lyin'. That shit wasn't cool. Not one bit. That shit was crazy! …_She _was crazy.. When she finally let go of my shoulders, I instinctively jumped back.

"I'm sorry..", she repeated. "…I shouldn't have waited this long… but I didn't know whether I could trust you or not…"

My blood began to boil when I heard her words. The fuck was this bitch smoking? "..WHAT!", I exclaimed. In response, she jumped back and looked at me like _I _was the crazy one. "You _just _told me you killed your parents. _I _shouldn't be trusting _your _ass right now!"

I watched as her face turned angry. "Look! Yes, I did it. But I'm okay now!", she yelled.

"BULLSHIT!"

I watched as she walked towards the door with her arms crossed over her chest. I contemplated just rushing past her ass and locking myself in my room for the rest of the night, but decided against it. I wasn't no punk or nothing. But still…I knew for a fact that I ain't wanna be in this room with her anymore.

I slowly eased off of the wall and took a few small steps towards the door. She still had her back turned towards me, but I new better. I knew she could snap at any minute. Just like she did with her parents..

"I'm out..", I said in a monotone as I began to walk past her..

But she was faster than me. Because she quickly used her body to block the door.

I jumped back and clenched up my fists. If she wanted to fight, I was ready. Heh, Granddad always told me some bull about not hittin' girls, but he never said anything about crazy bitches!

She rolled her eyes at my actions. "Calm down, idiot. I don't wanna fight you."

I didn't unclench my fists. "Yeah, whatever! I know damn well that as soon as I turn my back, you're gonna attack!"

She crossed her arms once more and looked at me with saddened eyes. "…I know you don't trust me..", she began.

"Damn right!"

She narrowed her eyes. "But you _need_ me!"

I nearly choked on my spit when I heard her reply. I'm Young Reezy! I ain't need nobody for nothing! "The only thing I `_need_` you to do is move the fuck out my way!"

She sucked her teeth. "Fine…" I watched as she finally moved away from the door. "..Leave."

Shit, I ain't waste no time. I quickly trudged past her and grabbed the knob, cause I was ready to get away from her crazy ass. I was ready to leave that bathroom. I was ready to get in the bed. And I was ready to take my ass to-

"So, how do you plan to get out of here?"

I stopped dead in my tracks. "What?"

"How are you gonna get out of here without my help?", she asked.

I turned towards her and sucked my teeth. The fuck was she trying to prove? "I don't _need _your help.", I said harshly. I shook my head at the thought. I ain't need her for nothing! I was doing fine on my own.

I heard her chuckle. "Yeah right."

I narrowed my eyes and pointed in her direction. "Look, crazy..", I began. "I can get out by myself. I don't need you or nobody. Just make sure you stay out of my damn way!" I then turned back towards the door ready to leave, but her words stopped me again.

"Yeah, you may be right.."

Surprised, I looked back at her with widened eyes. "Huh..? Oh! Yeah! I am!"

She nodded. "Yep. You know exactly how you're gonna get out."

I grinned. "Yep!"

"You know how to sneak past the rooms."

"Yep, yep!"

"You know where the main doors are."

"…..Y-Yessir!"

"You even know how to pick the locks to open them, huh?", she smiled.

"Ye-…" My eyes went wide. "Uh.. Hold up…"

"You know how to get past Dr. Scott's office, avoid the guards, _and _all the cameras that are located on nearly every corner near the main exits.", she continued.

I scratched my head. "..Uhh.. I.."

"You _even _know which spots on the hallways trip the alarms."

I stared blankly at her in silence. I was shocked. I ain't know you had to do all _that _just to get out of here. This nigga had motion sensors in the hallways? That's some old James Bond shit.

She shrugged. "I guess you don't need my help after all.", she said as she walked towards the door. She nudged me out of the way and pulled it open, exposing the darkened hallway. She yawned. "Have a nice night."

I grabbed her arm before she left. "Ay, hold up."

She grinned. "Hm? Is something wrong?", she said innocently.

I rolled my eyes. "Shut up."

Damn.. I hated to admit it. I mean… I _really _hated to admit it. But maybe I _did _need her help …a little. I mean she _has _been here for five years. She knew the whole place inside and out. So I guess she would be the only one to help a nigga out.

"You know how to get past all that shit..?", I asked as I let go of her arm.

She closed the bathroom door and shrugged. "Maybe."

I thought for a moment. I knew for a fact that I couldn't trust her anymore. Yeah, she filled me in on Scott and the pills, but that ain't mean that I should overlook the fact that she was a murdering psychopath. But still… she _was _the best person to get me out of this fucked up place. I mean, I ain't talk to any other kids. ….I _couldn't _talk to the other kids. They were so ….stupid. They wouldn't understand me, let alone help me get out..

I pouted and adverted my eyes to the side. "….I could probably use you…", I mumbled.

Her eyes went wide. "What! Riley is asking someone for help? It's a freakin' miracle!"

I sucked my teeth at her sarcasm. "Bitch please. I don't need your help. I'ma just use you as bait just in case we get caught.", I stated honestly.

She shook her head and laughed. "Whatever helps you sleep at night.."

I watched as she walked towards me slowly. I didn't step back, though. I already had my guard up so whatever she did probably wouldn't surprise me at this point.

Boy, was I wrong.

She extended her arm out towards me and smiled. "I'll help you out. I'll watch your back… Just as long as you watch mine. We can help each other…", she then looked me straight in the eyes. "..Do we have a deal..?"

I was hesitant. What if this was a trap? What if she was just feeding me all the shit she thought I wanted to hear? If Scott were to catch us, how would I know she wouldn't pull the crazy card and blame the attempted escape on me? If I learned one thing here, it was that no one could be trusted. Especially _her_. But… did that matter? The whole point was me getting out. And Chris was the only one that could help me. So… did it matter that I didn't fully trust her? I mean yeah, she was a crazy, murdering psychopath with some serious issues… But if she wanted to get rid of me, wouldn't she have done it by now? If she _was_ a phony, why would she keep me alive all this time? Was _she _the one using _me _as bait? Damn, so many questions I ain't have answers to. So many questions… I looked up and realized that she still had her hand towards me. What should I do..?

Not wasting another second, I quickly grabbed her hand and shook it. "…Deal.", I replied. I looked at her and noticed she was grinning again. ….Maybe I shouldn't have agreed. "I still don't trust you, though.", I said quickly.

"You don't have to.", she replied, still holding on to my hand. "Just help me… help you."

I nodded. "..Fine."

She smiled. "Riley…?"

"What?"

I saw her look off to the side with a slight smile. "Can… I have my hand back..?"

"Huh?", I looked down and realized that I was still holding on to her hand. I gasped and instantly yanked my arm back. I tried to hide the _light _blush I had on my face. …I can't stress the word _`light` _enough. I then looked towards the side and cleared my throat for to particular reason..

"Tomorrow night.", I heard her say.

I gave her a quizzical look. "..What?"

"Tomorrow night.", she repeated. "We're leaving tomorrow night."

My eyes went wide at her response. Was she serious? "Tomorrow night?", I repeated her words. "Why so soon?"

She grinned. "Why not?"

She had a point. She's been here forever. I couldn't blame her for wanting to get out as soon as possible. "Yeah, aight..", I replied.

She smiled. "I know you're nervous. But if we pull this off, you'll never have to see me again."

I grinned from ear to ear. Hearing _that _piece of information made me feel a hell of a lot better. If I _ever _saw her again, it would be too soon. ..But she seemed confident, though. I quickly realized that maybe she kept getting caught because she ain't have no one to watch her back. _"I'll watch your back… Just as long as you watch mine_…", I remembered her words. And if we watched each other's back, there's a stronger chance that we _wouldn't _get caught.. I smiled at the thought. Maybe… just maybe… we could pull this off..

She gave me a serious look. "Let's just hope we don't get shot."

My smile disappeared.

* * *

**-The next morning-**

I… finally figured it out. After all this time. I finally knew who sent me that disturbing picture. I finally knew… where my brother was.. And I had an idea why this person sent me the picture in the first place. They _wanted _me to find him.. But how could it take me this long to figure it out? The answer was right in front of my face but I couldn't see it. How could I not realize that _he _was back?

There I sat, sitting at my computer. I was looking up certain things to help me retrieve my brother. I already had a plan. I just needed the right equipment. BB Guns and Samurai Swords wouldn't work this time. No… I needed to pull out something bigger. _Much _bigger.

"You sure that's where he is?", I heard my granddad ask with worry. He was looking over my shoulder at the computer screen. After explaining the whole situation and showing him the picture I was sent, he _finally _understood how dangerous the situation was. ….But if you ask me, he should've been more concerned in the beginning. But ignorance is bliss, I suppose..

"Positive.", I replied.

I heard him gasp as he pointed towards the computer screen. "What the hell..? They tell you how to make things like _that_ on the Internet!", he exclaimed, surprised.

"You'd be surprised at what you could find on Google."

I quickly pressed the "Print" button and after a few seconds, I held the instructions in my hands. I stared at the paper in delight. (Though you couldn't tell by the straight face I held.)

Granddad quickly took the paper from my hands. "And _this _is gonna help you get him out?", he asked as he studied it.

"Hopefully."

"Don't you think this is a _little _extreme?"

I gave him a look. "I think kidnapping an eight year old and sending his family a picture of him being unconscious and subdued is a _little _more extreme than some instructions I printed off the Internet.", I quickly took the paper from his hands and read over it carefully. If this didn't work, there'd be no use…Now, I wasn't one for praying. Mainly because I knew no one would answer them. But I silently prayed that this would be enough to get my brother out of that….prison. …It _had _to work. It just _had _to..

"And how are you gonna make that thing?", Granddad asked as he crossed his arms over his chest.

I looked up at him. "With things that are lying around the house.", I got up from the computer chair and walked towards the door. It wouldn't take me long to make it. All I needed were a few household items …Not to mention things that I had in my… private stash..

The whole process could take me only a few hours. I then turned towards Granddad. I knew I couldn't get Riley out by myself. Especially when it meant dealing with someone as crazy as …._him._

"I'm going to need your help.", I stated.

His eyes went wide. I watched as he shook his head quickly. "Oh, uh uh!", he put his hands up in protest. "You ain't draggin' me in no terrorist shit!"

I shook my head. "All I need you to do is drive."

I watched as his face relaxed a bit. He thought for a moment. "…I ain't got to get out the car, do I?"

I sighed at his words. There's nothing like family, is there?

"No. You don't have to get out."

He grinned. "Yeaaaah boy! I ain't gettin' _my_ ass shot! Nuh uh! Not today!"

I shook my head and began to walk out my bedroom door. Sometimes I wondered if I was really apart of this family. ..But I decided it was for the best. Because let's be honest. If they didn't have someone with atleast a _little _common sense near them at all times… Man, I don't know _where _they would be at this point.. I looked back at Granddad and noticed he was still …celebrating. I guess now was the perfect time to let him in on the first part of my plan.

"Granddad."

"What?"

"Make sure the car has enough gas in it.", I replied.

He paused, obviously confused. "….Why?"

I gave him a serious look. "…Because we're leaving tonight."

I lowered my eyes with worry. I just hoped that we weren't going to be too late…


	11. Chapter 10

**I'm sorry guys. I didn't mean to take so long to update this. I have serious stomach problems and for some reason, they got extremly worse during my absence. I could hardly move. My medecine wasn't even working. Sooo after I went to the doctor and got new meds, I started to get better, and when it felt right to do so, I got up and wrote the next chapter. I'm sorry that it's so short, but it was the best I could do at this moment.**

**But yeah, if I EVER take a long leave like that, it's ALWAYS for a reason. I'm not just flaking on ya'. :D**

* * *

I couldn't make out nothing in front of me. It was all a huge ass blur. I struggled to see straight, but I just couldn't do it. I wiped my eyes attempting to make my vision clear, but to no avail. Damn.. I couldn't take this shit anymore..

What's wrong with me, you ask?

I…was tired as _FUCK!_

I stared down at "breakfast" with a sigh. I knew I should've went to my room earlier last night, but NO, I had to sit in that bathroom and listen to Chris' life story. I looked down at my still shaking hands. When the fuck was this medicine gonna wear off? I remember her saying a few days but… A few days were too fucking long for me.

I wiped my eyes again. I hoped that I would be able to go along with our plan tonight, cause right now, I was too sleepy to do anything. I shook my head at the thought. I just decided that I would go right back to my room after breakfast, cause I needed some shut eye.

I knew Chris felt the same way, cause I ain't seen her all morning. She was probably in her room knocked the fuck out! Damn, I wish I was in her shoes right now..

Wait… on second thought… I take that back.

"Lamilton.."

A chill ran down my spine when I heard him call my alias. I turned to see Dr. Scott walking towards the table I was at. The grin on his face reminded me of Chris for some reason… That same creepy grin..

He sat across from me and clasped his hands together. He looked me up and down and was silent for a second.

He was …_studying _me..

"How are you today?", he asked, still eyeing my shaking hands.

"…Fine.", I replied as I looked towards the side.

"That's nice… that's nice..", his voice trailed off.

I gave him a confused look. He was acting weirder than he usually did. And I ain't like it. And why was he looking at me like that? Like he was trying to read my mind or something..?

"I see the medicine is working nicely..", he stated.

My eyes went wide at his words. Working nicely..? The fuck was he talking about? I rolled my eyes. "..Oh…yeah.."

I watched as he took off his glasses and began to clean it with a small cloth. I heard him clear his throat a few times. It was like he was trying to say something, but held back. And I aint gonna lie. The look on his face seemed… strange.

"Lamilton."

His voice cut off my thoughts. I didn't answer though, I just stared.

His face suddenly turned serious. "You wouldn't be planning on trying to leave us… are you..?"

My spit caught in my throat and my heart skipped a beat. I'm glad my body was already shaking, cause at this point, I was doing the shaking all on my own. How did he know? Did somebody hear us talking last night? Did Chris fuck up and tell him? He just stared at me, waiting for a response. So, I swallowed hard and said something I normally did in these types of situations..

"…What?"

I heard him sigh. He rubbed his eyes as if he were tired. But I knew for a fact he wasn't as tired as me. He then looked at me. I realized that his face held an angry expression. Just how much did this nigga know?

"I know you were with Chris last night."

My eyes went wide. How did he know? How? We made sure that we were as quiet as possible after we left that bathroom. We didn't see no guards or nothing! How the hell did he find out?

I shuddered. "I… uh.."

"Some of our guards caught Chris sneaking back into her room earlier this morning..", he began as he put his glasses back on his face. "And seeing as though you have those bags under your eyes… It's obvious that..-

"Ay, hold up.", I said, cutting him off. "What if my bed was uncomfortable? What if I had a nightmare, huh!", I yelled stating a bunch of bullshit. But I had to buy some time.

I heard him chuckle. "Oh, Lamilton. Please. Playing dumb will get you nowhere. But I must say, your little outbursts always keep me laughing.", he smiled.

I shook my head at his words. I can't believe she got caught. But.. did she snitch? Whatever the answer was, I knew I had to play this shit off somehow. "How do you know _I_ was with her? I hardly _talk_ to that girl!", I lied

He looked me right in my eyes. "Are you lying to me?".

I swallowed once. Twice. He was looking right at me. Right _through _me. "No.", I managed to say without my voice cracking.

He just stared at me for a few seconds. I knew he was trying to read my face to see if I was lying or not. But I kept it straight and calm despite how I felt at the moment.

"My apologies..", he said with a smile.

I couldn't hold back a grin. I can't believe he thought I was telling the truth. "See? Blamin' me for nothing!", I boasted.

He chuckled. "Please forgive me for jumping to conclusions like that. It's just that around here… you can't be too careful.."

And with that, he stood up and began to walk away. Probably going to interrogate another patient about their whereabouts last night. But just at that moment, I thought about something.

"Wait!", I said trying to get his attention.

He turned towards me and grinned. I gulped. It was like he knew what I was gonna ask him. But I needed to know. "Out of curiosity..", I began. "..Where _is _Chris?"

He straightened his glasses on his face and smiled at me. He was silent for a second, but before I could ask him again, he finally replied…

"She's… being taken care of."

* * *

What did he mean by that..?

I layed in my bed staring up at the ceiling. After my conversation with Scott, I went straight to my room and took my ass to sleep. And now, hours later, I'm _still _trying to figure out what he meant by `being taken care of." Did he lock her up somewhere alone? Did he plan to keep her there for a long period of time? Did he hurt her..? Or worse?

All those questions swam through my head. I tried to focus on getting to fuck out of here, but Chris kept entering my mind for some reason. If Scott _did _do something to her, where did that leave me? I mean she was supposed to help me get escape. She knew the whole place inside and out and without her to tell me where to go, I was basically fucked.

I looked over to the clock on my nightstand. It read 9:00pm. Damn, I must've been in some serious thought because time seemed to fly by. I sighed at the thought. Chris was supposed to meet me here at 8:00pm. She was an hour late, and that made my heart sink. Because that meant Scott _did _do something to her.. Which meant that I had to be in this shithole longer.

I edged out of the bed and walked towards the door. I wasn't gonna leave. I was just gonna look down the hallway just to see if I saw her. Maybe she forgot what room I was in. So without hesitating, I turned the knob and opened the door..

Only to see a dark figure staring at me.

..With a knife in their hand.

'OH SHIT!", I exclaimed, jumping back. And without thinking, I balled up my fist and punched the figure straight in the face.

"SON OF A…"

Feeling the impact on my jaw, I flew back and landed on my ass. Damn, they had a bad left hook. Struggling to see, I looked up at the figure as it stepped in my room holding their nose.

…Holding _her _nose.

"RILEY!", she exclaimed. "What the fuck is wrong with you!", Chris took her hand from her nose and checked to see if it was bleeding. Thankfully it wasn't.

I stood up quickly and held my throbbing jaw. "What's wrong with _you_!", I exclaimed, surprised. I swear I ain't mean to hit her, but she caught a nigga off guard.

"You _knew _I was coming here!", she said in a hushed whisper. I had totally forgot where we were at the moment. "You didn't have to hit me you fucking idiot!"

"You can't just sneak up on a nigga like that!", I said, still holding my jaw. But just then, I realized something. I quickly looked down towards her other hand and gasped when I saw the shiny blade. "What the fuck are you gonna do with that!", I exclaimed stepping back.

"Huh..?", she said confused. She then looked down at the knife she was holding and shook her head. "To pick the locks, dummy." ,she then held it up towards my face so I could get a better look.

"Where the hell did you get a knife?", I asked, still not letting my guard down.

"The kitchen. That's why I took so long. It was dark in there so I had to search for it.", she replied.

I calmed down a bit and shook my head. "Uh… my bad..", I said pertaining to me punching her.

"Whatever..", she replied walking towards me. Without a second to waste, she reached up and touched my throbbing cheek. "You okay..?", she asked, looking me right in the eyes.

My cheeks got hot and I edged back. "Yeah, I'm cool..", I replied. I was surprised at how soft her hands were..

"Okay then.", she replied. I watched as he walked over towards the door. She turned to face me. "There's only one thing you need to know about what we're about to do.", she started.

I shrugged. "What?"

She grinned. "If you don't do exactly what I say, you're gonna die."

I gasped at her words and my heart skipped a beat. "WHAT!"

She chuckled. "Just kidding.."

I shook my head at her humor. I ain't find that shit funny.

"But seriously..", she began again. "One slip up could get us caught, so just do what I say. Okay?"

I crossed my arms. I ain't like taking orders from nobody. Especially a crazy bitch like her. But I guess I ain't have a choice. "Yeah… okay.."

She smiled. "Good. Now… let's go.", she said as she turned back towards the door, ready to open it.

And just at that moment, something shot in my brain like a fucking lightening bolt. How the hell could I forget? "Ay, hold up.", I said just as she was about to open the door.

She let go of the knob and turned towards me. "Yeah? What is it?"

I gave her a look. "Scott talked to me today..", I began. I don't how I forgot that piece of information so fast. I guess her scaring the holy shit out of me earlier clouded my thoughts.

She raised a brow. "..Really? What did he say?", she asked.

"He said you got caught going back in your room last night.", I repeated his words. I raised a brow. That _did _strike up another question. "What did he do to you?", I asked, curious.

She gave me a confused look and was silent for a second. But I didn't know why. She then adverted her eyes towards the ground as if she were in deep thought. What was going on..?

"Riley..", she finally said.

"Yeah..?"

She gave me a worried expression. "Nobody caught me. I went straight into my room last night."

I was shocked at her words. Was she serious? I shook my head confused. "But he told me you were being taken care of. That's why I didn't see you earlier, right?", I asked, trying to put the pieces together.

"You didn't see me earlier because I was in my room asleep. I thought you'd be too..", her voice trailed off and she shook her head. "…This isn't good.."

"Chris. The fuck is going on..?", I asked, wanting to get to the bottom of this shit.

She gave me a frantic look and nervously chewed on her thumb. "Think.. Think…", I heard her mumble.

"Chris..", I called again.

"This isn't good..", she repeated. "Scott knows about last night..", she clenched up her fists. "_Shit!"_

"Ay calm down..", I started. I knew she was getting more pissed by the second. "I lied and said I ain't have no idea what he was talking about. And the nigga believed me.", I said, trying to calm her down. I ain't want nothing to keep her from wanting to help me get out of here.

She shook her head at my words. "He doesn't believe you.", she replied. "He just wanted to see if you would snitch or not.", she had an angry look on her face. "Now, he knows what we're doing..", she stated. "Do you know what that means?", she asked.

"…No..", I replied.

She sighed and leaned on the door. "It means… that he's waiting for us."

"Shit..", I replied as I covered my mouth in surprise.

I knew it. I _knew_ that us being able to escape was too good to be true. I knew that _something_ was gonna fuck everything up. I couldn't believe this shit. We were gonna help each other get out, tell everyone about what was going on in here, and hopefully, get some money. But now all those plans turned to complete shit. We were almost free.. But now Scott knew what was going on. Which meant that we had to be fucking dumbasses to try to make a move now..

"Come on.", I heard her say.

My spit caught in my throat. "Are you serious? He's just waiting to cap us!"

She sighed. "I know.. But if we don't start moving, the chances of us getting out are slim to none.."

This girl… was _stupid. _But I wasn't. I crossed my arms across my chest and pouted. "Shit, you can go, but I'm staying my ass right here.", I said pointing towards the ground. If she wanted to get shot, then that was on her, cause I wasn't moving.

Her face suddenly turned angry and she put her hands on her hips. "Oh okay. You can just sit here and wait for _him _to get to _you _first. I, on the other hand, am going to try to sneak around him and make my way out. Bye.", and with that, she turned towards the door and grabbed the knob.

I gave her a look. I ain't realize that he would be coming for me. I was _not _looking forward for that shit. "Fine. You win.", I admitted.

She turned around and rolled her eyes. "If you're scared, just say so."

My eyes went wide. "AY! I ain't scared!"

She grinned. "Riiiiight…"

I crossed my arms. "I just don't wanna get shot, that's all..", I said as I adverted my eyes to the side. I wasn't scared. Nervous was more like it. Getting hit by real bullets was worse than getting hit by that of a BB gun.

"So how are we gonna get past him?, I asked, curious.

I watched her turn towards the door and sigh. She was silent. I raised my brow at the sight. Did she even _know_ how to sneak past him? Or was she just saying that to get me to go along with her? I mean… did she need me _that _bad? I began to ask her, but before I could, she spoke..

"Riley.."

I raised a brow. "What..?"

She was silent again. Why did she always do that? Get so quiet all of a sudden for no reason at all?

"Chris..", I called.

'Can… can you promise me something..?", she finally said after a while. She still wouldn't look at me. What was going on..?

I scratched the back of my head. "Uh.. Yeah I guess.."

She sighed again and lowered her head towards the ground. "If…. If anything happens..", she began. It sounded as if she was struggling to get the words out. "If anything happens… t-to me.. I…I want you to promise me that you'll keep going.."

I was confused. "…Keep going..?"

"Don't try to help me. Just keep going… and forget about me..", she said almost in a whisper.

Was she serious? "But..I-.."

She quickly turned towards me and gave me a serious look. I could see the worry in her eyes. "You have to _promise_ me, Riley. Promise me that you'll keep going.."

I saw how serious she was about this. I couldn't believe she wanted me to do something like that. She just wanted me to leave her behind like that if something went wrong? Did she even care about getting out herself? Didn't she have any ….family..

Family.

She got rid of hers already. How could I forget? I stared at her, still silent. No wonder she wanted me to keep going without her. Because she had nothing. I mean, even if she _did _get out, what would she do? Where would she go? She had no family, no friends.. She wouldn't have a life..

"I… I promise..", I replied, still unsure about how I felt about it. Could I really just leave her like that? It would be fucked up, but… it's what she wanted..

She gave me a small smile.. But why? Why was she happy that I agreed?

"Okay then.", she finally said. "Lets go."


	12. Chapter 11

**:0 Where did everybody go..? They're missing the story! Ugh, I knew I should've sent out a message to everyone explaining why I took so long to update last time. -sigh-**

**Anyway, here it is! I hope you enjoy this chapter. It took me forever to write. lol**

* * *

The hallways were dark as shit. You couldn't even see your hand in front of your face. So you know I had to struggle to see Chris in front of me. All I had to go on was her steady breathing and her soft footsteps a few feet ahead of me. Holding her hand would've been easier… but fuck that shit! I wasn't no punk or nothing..

Instead, we stuck to the sides of the hallway, keeping one of our hands on the wall to guide us. It was… creepy as shit. I ain't hear nothing. No kids screaming, no guards walking the hallways. It was like we was the only two in the whole place. What if Scott was watching us? Chris said she knew which hallways held cameras, but how could she remember when it was as dark as this? And the fact that Scott knew where we were just added on to the difficulty.

"Stop."

We had just turned a corner and was leaning on the wall when Chris stopped. I made a face at her actions. She stared straight ahead and was so still, that I had to put a hand on her shoulder just to make sure she was still there.

"What?", I whispered.

"Did you hear that?", she asked.

My heart started to beat faster. What did she hear? Was it a guard? Was it Scott? I gulped at that last thought. "Hear what?"

She didn't answer me. She was just silent. I guessed she was trying to hear it again… Whatever _"it" _was, anyway. After a few seconds of complete silence, I finally heard her sigh.

"…Nothing… Come on.."

And with that, we started moving again. My heart started to race more. Did she hear someone? Or was she just being paranoid? Whatever it was, I knew I ain't wanna think about it. But, even though this was life and death situation, I guess it was good that we watched each other's backs.

After a few more minutes of walking, we finally reached another corner. Chris stopped again.

"What? You hear something again?", I asked nervously.

She looked back at me and shook her head. "Guards are normally on this hallway, so be careful."

Gulping at her words, I pressed my hand harder against the wall as we began to turn the corner. I peaked around the edge and saw that the hallway seemed darker than the ones we were just on. So if some guards _were _on this hallway, we wouldn't be able to see them. Which was fine, I guess. Because that meant that they couldn't see us either.. I shook my head at the thought. I just hoped that I was right.

As we started walking on the hallway, I realized that Chris' pace slowed down a bit. So I did the same. I ain't wanna risk anyone hearing our footsteps. As we continued to walk deeper and deeper in the darkness, I realized that Chris' breathing seemed quicker. Like she was terrified. But what was she so afraid of? I mean yeah, this was a bad situation, but she was acting as if Scott was staring into her eyes as we speak. Did she know something I didn't..? I squinted my eyes and quickly shook that thought away.. Trying to figure out what was on her mind was like trying to explain Myspace to Granddad. It just wouldn't work.

Suddenly, she turned towards me and pushed me flat against the wall. I tried to protest, but she put her hand in front of my mouth, causing my words to come on in a muffle. We were just a few feet away from the corner of the hallway! What the hell was she doing? Man, I ain't know what was going on, but as soon as I saw the faint glow of a small flashlight ahead of us, I finally understood what was happening..

It was a guard, and he was coming right towards us.

After realizing that I understood, Chris let go of my mouth and pressed her body against the wall right next to me. "Shh..", she said quietly as the guard got closer.

He was walking in the center of the hallway with one of those small flashlights that could fit in your pocket. But even though it was small, the light coming from it was powerful. I just hoped it wasn't powerful enough to see Chris and I standing there. I held my breath as he got closer. His footsteps echoed throughout the hallway and the sound sent shivers through my spine. What would he do if he caught us? I silently remembered Chris' words from earlier. _"You're gonna die."_ Yeah, she said it as a joke, but I knew better. You don't just joke around like that..

He was now approaching us, and when he was right next to us, I closed my eyes tightly and waited. I waited for him to catch us. Waited for him to hurt us like they had hurt Chris before. I just waited… and waited… until..

Nothing.

He walked right past us and the glare of his flashlight got fainter and fainter. I couldn't believe it! He aint see us! I let out the breath I was holding. I couldn't help the grin that grew across my face. I was happy as shit! And if I could, I'd be doing the Booty Dance right now.

But Chris grabbing my wrist broke my out of my thoughts. She then yanked me around the corner and let go. Probably telling me to hurry the hell up. I ain't blame her, though. Cause nothing was stopping that guard from coming back.

"That was close..", I heard her whisper as we began walking again.

I chuckled in a low tone. "I know.. You was scared as shit..", I said, teasing her. I don't know why I did it. I guess not getting caught by that guard lifted my spirit's a bit.

"Whatever..", I heard her mumble.

I grinned. "You know you was scared. Just admit it."

She looked back at me to protest, but her mouth dropped in horror. I was about to ask her what was up, but just then, two hands grabbed my shoulders hard. And they wouldn't let go.

* * *

You've got to be kidding me. You've got to be _fucking _kidding me.

I put a hand on my forehead to emphasize the fact that I was pissed off. I couldn't believe it. We were so close. So… close to getting to the bottom of this situation. So close to finding my brother. Deep down in my heart, I knew that he was going to do _something _to mess this up.

"Shit..", I heard him mumble next to me.

I looked up at him with anger in my eyes. "….You forgot.", I said harshly. "How could you forget something so important! I can't believe you!"

Now, normally, I would've never allowed myself to get so angry at my Granddad. Let alone let it show like that. But we were in the middle on nowhere and it was all _his _fault. It was then that I realized that we wouldn't make it to Riley in time…

Why, you ask?

…Because we ran out of gas.

* * *

We were caught. Caught by that guard… and I couldn't believe it.

I closed my eyes and waited for the pain I was about to feel from him. Him beating the shit out of Chris and I and dragging us back to our rooms… or worse, Scott's office. I just waited and waited…

But… the hands on my shoulders loosened their grip..

Confused, I opened my eyes, only to see Chris' angry expression.

"What the hell!", she exclaimed.

What was going on, I wondered. I finally yanked away from the hands and turned around quickly..

Only to be greeted by my worst fucking nightmare.

"What the _HELL _are you doing here, Maria!", Chris said in a hushed whisper. Probably realizing that we were still in the dark hallway.

I couldn't believe this shit! I just couldn't believe it. It was _her! _That crazy white bitch that jumped all on me when I first got here. I stared at her in anger and clenched up my fists. How did she know about what we were doing? I narrowed my eyes at her. Was she following us the _whole _time? Maria gave us a weird smile and stepped closer to me, causing me to edge back and bump into Chris a little.

"I…I… I w-wanna… go t-too…", she stammered as she scratched her head nervously. I noticed she was shaking all over.

Suddenly, I felt Chris push me off her. She stepped in front of me and pushed Maria right to the ground. My eyes went wide at the sight. I'd never seen Chris get this aggressive. I watched as Chris stared down at her with the most evil look that I've ever seen her give. Yeah, it was still dark, but I was close enough to see her features. A shiver went down my spine at the sight.

"Maria.", she began in a cold tone. "Go _back _to your room. _NOW."_, Her eyes were unmoving and she had her fists clenched so tight, I thought she was gonna break her fingers.

Maria smiled again and began to get back up. "B-But.. I wanna.."

Before she could finish her sentence, Chris surged forward and pushed her back down. Harder this time. So hard, it made Maria yelp.

Without thinking, I grabbed Chris' shoulder. "Ay, what's up?", I asked, trying to calm her down. I looked down at Maria and continued. "..I know you don't want her goin' with us… Shit, I don't either. But you fuckin' her up might get us caught. So chill.", I ain't know _what_ made me want to save Maria's crazy ass, but Chris was acting weird as hell. Not to mention she was wasting our time. That guard could come back any second and find us here.

I raised a brow when she yanked my hand off. "Maria. I _mean _it. If you don't go back right now…", she began as she lifted up her hand.

I watched in horror when I realized what was in it. The knife from earlier! I fucking forgot she had it! My spit caught in my throat and before I realized it, I reached out quickly and grabbed her wrist before she could strike. "Ay! The _FUCK _are you doin'!", I exclaimed in a loud whisper. She tried to yank her wrist out of my grasp, but I held on as tight as I could.

She quickly looked back and glared at me angrily. "Let me go!", she demanded.

I squeezed her wrist tighter. "Chris! Calm the fuck down!", I tried my best to continue whispering, but this shit was too much for me.

Chris… was having another episode… But what triggered it? Maria trying to come with us? Yeah, it pissed me the fuck off too, but it ain't make me want to _kill_ her! I soon realized that if I couldn't get her to at least calm down, I knew that we'd either get caught, or she was gonna kill everyone before the guard even got to us. We just continued to struggle with the knife. But I continued to hold on as tightly as I could.

"No, Riley!", she started. "You _don't_ understand!", she said, raising her voice an octave.

"Give me the _damn _knife!", I said, trying to maneuver it out of her hands. But she held on to it tightly.

"No! You don't get it!", she continued to argue. "She _can't _come with us!"

Finally! I managed to swipe the knife from her hands. She made a grab for it, but I quickly yanked it back. "What the fuck is _wrong _with you!", I asked, looking at her like she was crazy.

She just stared at me for a few seconds. Everything in the hallway seemed to quiet down… And the only sound you could hear was me and Chris' heavy breathing from the fight. I stared back at her, waiting for a reply. But she didn't give me one. She just continued to stare at me… with hate.

Maria, who had been watching the fight from the floor the whole time, finally broke the silence. "I…I'm… Sorry…. B-but… I c-can help…"

Finally breaking out of her trance, Chris looked back at her angrily. "_Help? _You can _help! _I don't know what you _think _you're doing, but I'm not having it!", she said pointing towards Maria.

I gave her a look. "What's your problem?"

Chris looked back at me like _I _was the crazy one. "You just don't understand! If she goes with us, we're _dead." _

I put the knife in my back pocket and gave her a confused look. "How?"

She didn't answer right away. She just looked to the side. Her usual habit when she wasn't telling me the whole truth. "Just… just _trust_ me."

I swallowed hard. The way she said that made me… nervous all of a sudden.

"P-Please… let me c-come…", Maria continued to beg.

I looked down at her and rolled my eyes. This bitch was starting to get annoying. "Why should you?", I asked, curiously. If she wanted to go, she better have a good as reason. I crossed my arms over my chest and waited.

She smiled. "If… if s-someone is about t-to c-catch us… I c-can d-distract them..."

"Bullshit!", Chris cut in.

I gave her an angry look. Why was she acting this way?

I looked back towards Maria and thought about it. Someone that could distract Scott or any guards could come in handy. And lets face it. I ain't give a fuck about whether she got caught or not. The only thing I worried about was _me. _But she was kind of… weird. How would I know that she wouldn't give away our position by talking too much or some shit. Besides… I ain't even _know _this girl. Could I really trust her?

I looked over at Chris and noticed that she was staring at me with an angry expression... Waiting for me to answer. But… I knew that what I was about to say would piss her off..

"Fine…", I said, sucking my teeth. "You can come… but keep your mouth shut.. And _don't _touch me.", I pointed towards her to enphasize that last statement. I meant that shit too. Cause I ain;t want a repeat of what happened last time between me and her.

I watched as Maria got off the floor with a smile. "Thank y-you.."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever…"

Suddenly, she turned towards Chris, who was giving her the look of death. I expected Chris to smack the shit out of her, but she just stood there staring. Maria lowered her head. "I-I'll.. Be a g-good girl.."

I raised a brow… and Chris did the same.

"Excuse me?", I heard Chris mumble.

Maria kept her head lowered. "I won't b-be bad anymore.."

Chris pouted and turned towards the hallway we prepared to sneak on. "Whatever..", she mumbled. Maria and I began to follow behind Chris, but she continued to talk to Maria.

"…If you try _anything…. _I'll _kill _you.."

We both stopped in our tracks when we heard her words. My heart started to beat faster. Was she serious? Or was she just trying to scare Maria into not fucking anything up? I just saw her about to stab the shit out of her, so maybe she was serious about it…

I shook that thought away. The bottom line was that we had to keep moving or we were screwed. ..Besides.. I had the knife in my pocket. So even if Chris _wanted_ to do something, I knew that she ain't have the tool to do it.

Chris impatiently looked back at us. "Come on.", she said angrily.

And so, we started to move again. The three of us. Chris in front of me and Maria behind me. I couldn't believe that it was so quiet in that hallway. After all that shit that just happened, I thought that guards would be right on our ass! But to my surprise, there were none. Damn, we was lucky.

We all kept a hand on the wall as we made our way to yet another corner. Nobody said a thing. But I could feel the vibe that Chris was giving off. She was pissed off. I could tell because she walked at a faster pace this time. My guess was that she was trying to leave Maria behind. But she wasn'tt doing a good job because Maria continued to keep up It was like Maria knew the way too...

I was so confused. I understand that Chris ain't like her, but she was acting over the top. _"You don't understand…"_ I remembered her words clearly. But what was it that I didn't understand..? _"If she goes with us, we're dead!" _I remembered how serious she looked when she said that. But I didn't understand why.. Maybe she just thought that Maria would ruin our chances of getting out. But still… that wasn't enough to want to kill her…

I went back and forth in my mind about why she was acting this way. I was so lost in thought that I didn't realize how long this hallway was. It was double the size of the ones we were just on and didn't even have doors on the side. It was just a blank hallway.. But what I couldn't understand was why..

"Why the hell is this hallway so long..?", I blurted out without thinking. I heard Maria giggle behind me but I rolled my eyes and ignored it.

Chris sighed. "We're almost near Scott's office. So shut up and keep moving."

I heard Maria gasp behind me. I would've said something smart back, but I decided against it. If I pissed her off more than she already was, I knew we'd _never_ make it out.

It took us nearly 5 minutes, but when we finally made it to the end of that hallway, Chris stopped and looked back at me. She put a finger to her lips to telling me not to make a sound. And just at that moment, I started to get nervous. Because I knew that we were right by Scott's office. Which meant that we had to be careful. Because if we wasn't, we'd _never _make it out.

Chris slowly turned the corner and I followed close behind. When we made it on the next hallway, I saw a door a few feet ahead. I knew it was his office because there was a orange light spilling into the hallway. Probably a lamp. Chris walked slowly towards it and I followed trying not to make a sound. I was glad that Maria ain't have any random outbursts. But if she did, I'd push her ass in his office and run like hell in the other direction.

Closer and closer…

We were finally a few inches away from the door. I silently prayed that he wouldn't walk out of it any second. If he did, I knew he would see us. It ain'tmatter that the hallway was dark, because that light that came from his office would expose us.

We were right next to his door.

I listened hard, but I couldn't hear anything coming from the room. Was he just sitting in his chair waiting for us to pass by? Damn, that thought made a chill go down my spine. But I shook it off. Getting scared right now wasn't an option for me. Not when freedom was right past his door.

Chris stopped and motioned for me to come closer. When I got towards her she spoke so low, I had to struggle to hear her words.

"I'll go by first. And I'll tell you when to go."

I nodded in reply. I knew that if all three of us went at the same time, he would see us, so I ain't have a problem with her going first.

So, without wasting another second, she turned around and took a deep breath. Damn, I hope she made it… I hope _I _made it. Maria..? Don't care..

Suddenly, she sprinted forward, right past his office and kneeled down on the other side of the door. I waited for Scott to yell out something. Waited for him to come running out. But he didn't. He didn't see her.

I looked over at Chris and realized that she was motioning for me to follow. I swallowed hard at the sight. I _had _to do this right. If I fucked up, that was it for me. I'd be stuck here for ever. I had to run as fast as Chris did but I also had to make sure my shoes ain't make a sound as I did so. If they squeaked just once.. I was caught. Shaking that thought away, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Here we go..

But, before I could run, I felt a sharp pain on the side of my head. I instantly fell on my back.

"RILEY!", I heard Chris yell.

What the hell was going on? What hit me? I then saw Chris over me. She had her hand on my head and looked down at me with worry. I struggled to speak. "Chris… what…?"

She looked up ahead of her and narrowed her eyes. "YOU…YOU…!"

I blinked. Who was she talking to?

Suddenly, I heard heavy footsteps walking towards us. I struggled to see. I was so… tired. I kept fading in and out, but then I heard voices all around me. And my heart sank when I realized that one of those voices was Scott's.

"Well, what do we have here..?", I heard him say.

I still felt Chris' hand on my head. "Don't come near us!", she yelled.

Damn I wish I could see what was going on. I wish I could say something. I wish I could _move. _But I couldn't. I felt so tired and lifeless…

"I told you they'd be here! Did I do good? Did I?", I heard Maria say.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. That bitch was in on it! And what made it worse was that she wasn't stuttering like she used to. She was faking her condition the whole time! Shit! No wonder Chris ain't want her to go. She knew! But.. Why? Why didn't she tell me..?

"Yes, you did _really _well.", Scott replied. "Now, Chris. What did I tell you about trying to leave us?"

"Shut up! We're leaving whether you like it or not!", I heard Chris yell back.

I heard Scott chuckle. "You two are going anywhere.."

Just then, I heard Chris scream. I couldn't see. I couldn't see! What happened? All I heard was a slight scuffle and then silence. And after a few seconds, I felt my body being lifted off the floor. I tried to fight, but my limbs wouldn't work. I can't believe this shit. We were so close… If I would've just left Maria's crazy ass behind, none of this shit would've happened. And now, Scott was gonna take care of us. To make sure we never tried to leave again… But what was he gonna do? I just hopped I passed out before I found out.

And I was about to get my wish. Everything started to fade to black… but before it did, I heard something that made heart fill with horror.

"What are you gonna do with them, Dad?"

Scott laughed. "Be patient, Maria, you'll see.."


	13. Chapter 12

**PLEASE READ THIS:**

* * *

Guys, let me begin by saying that I am SO sorry for taking so long to update this story. I've just been going through so much. Computers getting broken, me getting sick, family drama. It's just so much to deal with. But I PROMISE that I will **FINISH** this story and make all of you proud. Please accept this apology.. Because your reviews are the only thing that kept me going.. And PLEASE be kind enough to review this apology to let me know you're still here. I love you all. :)

Love, Welcome To The Madhouse; AKA: Eboni.


	14. Chapter 13

**First off, I'd like to thank you guys SO much for reviewing and understanding my situation. Your support is just.. awesome. I even got some NEW readers! And all of them are awesome as well. I can't wait to get along with this story so I can make you all proud..**

**It's funny because I already know exactly what the last chapter is gonna be. xD**

**This chapter is a little short, so forgive me. But I think it has a lot of juicy and fucked up details given it's size. And don't worry, there's still a LOT more to be told.**

**Enjoy. :)**

* * *

Shit… it felt like I just got hit by a truck.. My head was bangin'.

My vision was blurry and my body was weak..

What happened..? Where was I..?

I blinked once. Twice. I was trying to make out what was in front of me, but everything looked out of place, and a bright light seemed to be shining right in my face. I let out a soft groan when a pain shot through my head. I needed an Asprin or something, cause my head was killing me.

It took me a little over five minutes to realize that I was staring up at a bright light on the ceiling. I raised a brow. Was I on the floor or something..?

My eyes went wide when I finally remembered what had happened. What happened with Scott and Maria..

"Oh shit..". I mumbled in surprise as I tried to sit up.

But my arms and legs wouldn't work. I tried to lift my body up a second time, but I wouldn't budge.

I couldn't move.

I looked left. Then right. Only to find that I was strapped to a table. The metal like restraints creaked a little every time I tried to struggle, but they didn't show any signs of breaking. I tried to pull again. No luck. A bead of sweat ran down my face. What the fuck was going on!

"Have a nice nap..?"

My blood began to boil when I recognized Scott's voice. I could hear him, but I couldn't see him. "Ay man! What the fuck is going on!", I yelled at the top of my lungs.

I watched in horror as he walked up from behind me with his hands behind his back. He turned and held an evil grin on his face. "I wouldn't try to break those restraints.. They're on you good and tight.", he said as he set something on a small table that sat next to mine… But I couldn't really see what it was.

"You better get this shit off of me before I-

"Before you …what?", he said cutting me off and turning his back towards me. It looked like he was fiddling with things on the table. "I don't think you're in the position to make threats, Riley.."

"Nigga, I'm serious!", I exclaimed getting more pissed than I already was. "If you don't let me go, I'm gonna… I'm gonna…. Hold up..", Did I hear what I thought I heard..? "What did you just call me..?"

He turned his head towards me slightly and grinned. "I called you Riley. That _is _your name, isn't it?"

My mouth dropped in shock. I couldn't believe it. I really believed this nigga thought I was Lamilton. But here he was… calling me by my real name.. I ain't know what to think.. My eyes went as wide as dinner plates. "You… You know..?"

He turned his back on me again and chuckled. "Of course. I've known from the very beginning.."

What..?

What did he just say?

I couldn't breathe..

I.. couldn't even think.

He… he knew.. ? This whole time..?

I swear I could hear my heart beating.. as if it were about to pop out of my chest. I've been here, dealing with these crazy ass kids, eating that piece of shit food, being chased all through these damn hallways, and getting knocked the fuck out more than once? …When the whole time, he KNEW I didn't belong here? He KNEW I wasn't crazy?

No… NO! This nigga had to be lying to me. He had to! Cause there was no way he knew who I really was the entire time. Why the hell would he go through so much trouble? Calling me Lamilton every damn second and making me swallow those fucked up pills.. What the hell did he have against me! I ain't do nothing to this nigga… yet here I am, strapped to a fucking table..

Why..?

Why am I here..?

And most importantly..

..what was he gonna do to me now?

He must've known that I'd be shocked when I found out he knew who I really was, because he was silent throughout my whole train of thought. Something told me that I should've been using that time to think of how I was supposed to get the hell out of this shit. But it was too late.

I watched in horror when he finally turned towards me. He had gloves on and held a scalpel in one of his hands. I knew for a fact that I ain't wanna know what he was gonna do with it, so I tried to stall as much as I could before he got a chance to use it.

"I-If you knew… then why the _fuck _am I _here!", _I hissed through clenched teeth as I balled up my fists. He was lucky he had me strapped down, 'cause if I wasn't, I knew I couldn't keep myself from beatin' his ass!

He walked towards me slowly and chuckled; scalpel still in hand. His eyes looked frantic. It was like they was moving back and forth.. What the hell was wrong with him?

"Why does a fisherman put a worm on his line, Riley?" he asked, now right by my side and looking me dead in my eyes.

"The fuck is THAT supposed to mean!", I hissed, causing some spit to fly out of my mouth and onto his face. Which would've been funny despite this fucked up situation..

Scott sighed and gently wiped his face. "I don't expect a child like _you _to understand.."

What the fuck was this nigga talking about? A worm on a line? What the hell did that have to do with this situation? Nothing, probably. Maybe he was just messing with me… He HAS been this entire time, anyway..

I suddenly tensed up when he put his hand on my forehead and pinned it against the table. He lifted up his scalpel and brought it into the light; examining it. Shit.. SHIT. What was he doing? Was he gonna cut my eyes out? My tongue? My stomach began to do flip flops as I thought about all of the possibilities. I mean, this nigga was obviously crazy.. There was no telling what someone like him could do with one small scalpel.. All the things he could.. _cut._

"W-What the _fuck_ are you gonna do to me?", I stuttered.

Scott was silent.

And it was then that I knew my time was up..

So.. I closed my eyes.. And waited for the pain..

"HE'S GONNA FIX YOU UP REALLY GOOD!", I heard a cheery voice say with a giggle.

I swallowed hard when I heard it. Who was that? Sounded like a five year old girl..

My eyes went wide when she finally came into view. She stood right next to Scott and held on to his leg, smiling like she just said the funniest shit anyone has ever heard.

"YOU… YOU FUCKING BITCH!", I yelled as loud as I could. I began to struggle hard against the metal straps because I wanted a piece of this bitch! It was then that I realized that the strap on one of my wrists gave way a little.. Just a little. I didn't make it noticeable, though. I had to take whatever I could get. Scott didn't seem to notice..

Maria jumped back a little at my outburst, but quickly regained her position next to Scott. She stuck her tongue out at me.

"Daddy! He said a bad word!", she said as she tugged on his white lab coat a little.

I wanted to stomp this little bitch straight in the ground.. But I had to find a way to get off this fucking table..

Scott let go of my forehead and chuckled a little. He then walked over to Maria caressed her cheek. She smiled at the gesture. Damn… It made me want to fucking vomit! What the fuck is wrong with them! It was like a damn movie. A fucked up father… a fucked up daughter… and a fucked up insane asylum. A plot like that could probably make millions of dollars at the movies…

But.. this wasn't a movie. It was real. And I was in the center of it.

Part of me was glad that Maria came in when she did, though. Because I knew I was about to become some messed up science experiment in a matter of seconds. Since Scott was distracted by her, I decided that it was time to start pulling on my lose wrist strap, but what Scott did next, shocked the fuck out of me..

The sound echoed throughout the room.. And my eyes went wide at how hard she hit the wall. Maria held her face and looked up at Scott in fear. Her cheek was already starting to blister from the slap. My spit caught in my throat at the sight..

"_WHAT _did I tell you, young lady!", Scott bellowed. I jumped at the sudden rise in his voice. I never heard him yell before.. It was angry.. No.. scary. Like he could kill her at any second. It was like he was a totally different person..

Maria whimpered a little and propped herself against the wall. I had to turn my head as far as I could to see what was happening.

"I..I finished with him, Daddy! I promise!", she said in a high pitched voice..

"Oh really?", Scott asked while folding his arms. "..and did he have _anything_ to _say?_

What were they talking about..?

Maria nodded and stood up slowly. Her knees were trembling. Probably afraid that he was gonna smack the holy hell out of her again.

She sniffed up some snot. "H-He said I was.. I was really tight.. a-and that I need to learn how to… how to… umm.."

Scott bucked towards her. "'Um' WHAT?"

She yelped and lowered her head quickly. "L-learn how to keep it in my mouth!"

Scott seemed angry by her words.

I wish I knew what the fuck was going on! What the hell did she mean by all that? I mean… I hope they didn't mean what I THOUGHT they meant.. Cause it sounded like some freaky shit to me.. And if it was.. Then.. That night I looked into Maria's room…. Could that be..?

FUCK!

I felt my stomach turn and I suddenly threw up in my mouth a little when I realized what could be going on..

Could.. Could Scott have forced Maria to.. to…

My thoughts were cut off when I noticed Scott balling up his fists.

"Maria."

Silence.

"Maria, look at me."

Trembling, she slowly lifted her head up. I could see that she started to cry a little.

Scott shook his head. "How do you expect them to keep working here if you can't even service them like they WANT you to!"

She sobbed. "Daddy, I'm sorry!"

"Sorry doesn't keep my workers here, now does it!", he yelled.

"N-n-n-n.."

"DOES IT!"

She sniffed. "NO!"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. This was some fucked up shit right here! _'Workers quit because Scott couldn't pay them..', _Chris' words popped into my mind. This was sick! HE was sick! Making his own daughter fuck grown ass men just so they can keep working at this fucking place! I ain't never seen any shit like this in my life! I couldn't handle it.. I just.. I just..

I nearly choked as I turned my head to throw up all over the floor. Was that why Chris didn't care about what happened to Maria that night? Because she knew what was going on the entire time? Why didn't she tell me?

As I spit out the last few remains of whatever it was that I held in my stomach, something I didn't think about before popped into my head. Something that should've been my first thought as soon as I woke up..

Shit.

Where was Chris?

I looked over towards Scott to see that he was still staring Maria down. But I ain't have time for whatever fucked up family issues they were going through, I had to know what they did with her. I had to..

"Scott! Where is she?", I yelled.

Why did I sound so.. afraid?

Scott turned towards me and adjusted his glasses. He seemed to have a confused look on his face. "Excuse me, Riley. Did you say something?"

I clenched up my fists the best I could. I was trembling. "Nigga, you HEARD me! Where's Chris?"

I heard him chuckle. And that made my fucking blood boil. I wanted to get off this table and find her as soon as possible so we could get the fuck out of here.. I couldn't leave without her.. I just couldn't.. B-because, you know, she knew the way out and all..

But before I could begin to thrash around and try my best to break free, Scott walked towards me and grabbed the back of the table I was on..

He smiled. "Riley... She's been here the entire time.."

I raised a brow. "What are you talking-"

But before I could finish my sentence, Scott pushed the back of my table, and to my surprise, it began to spin in a complete circle until it was facing the opposite way. I didn't know what was going on, or what he was trying to do, but as soon as my eyes caught the sight of something slumped on he ground, I just couldn't hold back my scream..

A body.. Right there on the floor. Her once white clothes were now a sickening shade of red. It was blood.. all over her.. She was just lying there on her side… It only took me a few seconds to see the huge gash on the side of her head.. Was that why everything got quiet before I passed out? Because he hit her with something? Something.. Sharp? As I tried to struggle against my restraints, I realized that she had some of her own. There were large rusted chains jetting out from the wall and attached to her wrists.. Like.. like she was some sort of… of puppet..

I tried to speak.. To call out her name. But I couldn't.. I just couldn't find my voice.. I just couldn't say anything because.. because..

Her eyes were half open..

…and she wasn't breathing.


	15. Chapter 14

I literally sat at my laptop for nearly the whole day. XD

Hope you enjoy.

* * *

I just… stared…

…in horror.

She was… she was gone.. And her body was right behind me... the whole time. I silently kicked myself. Why? Why did I let that… fucking hoe come with us? Why did I ignore Chris' warning? If I would've just listened to her… I wouldn't be staring at her lifeless body right now.. It was… it was all my fault and… I couldn't do nothing about it. Why wasn't she the first thing I thought of as soon as I woke up? Was I that damn selfish? Young Reezy don't look out for nobody but himself… Yeah, that was my mentality.. But look where that got me..

..Look where it got her.

I clenched my eyes shut and lowered my head in shame. I just couldn't look at her anymore. Not like this..

"C-..Chris..", I managed to silently choke out.

I wanted to apologize for being such an asshole to her this whole time… 'specially when she was trying to help me from the very beginning. I also wanted to thank her for all she's done for me.. Getting beat up just to protect me… Warning me about Scott and the pills… agreeing to help me get out.. But in the end.. I guess I only used her..

She… had a lot of heart.. But… I ain't even care..

What the fuck is wrong with me..?

_Chris… I-I'm sorry.. I ain't mean to… to.._

The sound of Scott's footsteps broke me out of my trance. I opened my eyes and lifted my head up a little to see that he was standing right next to her… He then kneeled down and gently touched her blood soaked hair..

He was grinning.

And right at that moment, my sorrow turned into fury.

"Don't you _FUCKIN' TOUCH _her!", I yelled.

I began to pull on my restraints with all of my might. I couldn't let him touch her again. I just couldn't let him hurt her.. Not anymore. As I continued to struggle, I realized that my lose wrist strap was starting to give way more and more. But I ain't care.. All I cared about was choking the shit out of this sick motherfucker.. But before I could finally break it off of me, Scott began to speak..

"So only when you think your little friend is dead… is the only time you show any type of emotion other than anger. I must admit, I'm quite impressed.."

I clenched my jaw shut and my eyes turned into slits. "What the fuck do you mean _'think'_? Look at her! She's covered in blood! Get away from her!"

"It's not her blood, Riley.."

My eyes went wide.

"W-..What?"

Scott chuckled and looked past me. "Maria.."

I suddenly heard her fast paced footsteps and soon she was right next to Scott. She was smiling

Funny..

It was like he never hit her.

I silently watched as she walked over to the sink near the wall. She grabbed a small cup of the sink's top and filled it with water. I ain't know what she was doing, but as soon as I saw her run towards Chris' body, I started to panic.

"AY!", I shouted. "Leave her al-"

But before I could finish my sentence, Maria stood in front of Chris, and dumped the water right in her face. She then stepped back and giggled. I ain't know what to think. What was that supposed to do? Clean her up or some shit like that? I clenched up my fists. I had enough of this..

But then..

..to my surprise..

..She started to move.

It started off as a twitch. Then a slight lift in her arm. Then her eyes closed all the way… only to open slightly after. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I just couldn't believe it. I saw her.. sprawled out on the ground. Lifeless. Not breathing.. Or.. Maybe she _was _breathing. I probably ain't notice cause of her clothes..

I broke out of my trance when she started to cough.

I smiled.

She was alive.

"B-but the blood..", I stammered.

Scott crossed his arms and sighed. "Yes, she put up quite a fight with one of my guards. Stabbed him in the shoulder… with a butter knife of all things. His blood went everywhere...", he chuckled.

A butter knife? The same knife I took from her? She must've took it back after Maria knocked me out.. She was smart..

Chris coughed some more and began to sit up. Her eyes looked drowsy she looked around the room slowly. Probably trying to figure out where she was. Now, I ain't gonna lie but..

..I was really glad she was okay.

I watched as Scott walked towards me and rested his hand on my table. These straps were the only thing keeping me from breaking all his fucking fingers..

"Glad to see you're finally awake. I was beginning to think I used too much sedative..", he said with a laugh.

I clenched my jaw at his humor. "Chris… you good?", I asked, hoping that she was okay. I was glad that she was actually alive, but who knows what kind of side effects that 'sedative' could have on her?

I watched as she wiped her eyes and sighed a little. She then put her hand on her head wound and flinched at her touch. After she stabbed that guard, another one must've hit her over the head with something..

She must've been in some serious pain.

"I… I'm okay..", she said, looking up at me for the first time. Her jaw dropped when she saw what situation I was in. "Riley! What-.. How? … Scott, what the hell are you doing!", Her tone wasn't loud but it could be heard throughout the whole room.

Scott laughed. "Why, I'm merely going to… change Riley's way of thinking.", He then walked over to his table and picked up his scalpel again.

I suddenly felt a shiver go down my spine.

"..And now that you're awake, we can get started..", he continued as he walked closer to me.

It was Chris' turn to struggle.

She began to pull against the chains that held her captive. But she quickly started to breathe heavily and collapsed right back on the floor. Why did she give up so easily? It was then that I finally realized.. she looked tired.. Weak. As if that shit Scott gave her did more than make her sleep. I watched as she caught her breath and tried to struggle again, only to fall right back in the same spot on the floor. Her energy was completely gone..

Scott laughed and put his hand back on my forehead. He looked at Chris and shook his head. "Those chains aren't indestructible… But given your weaken state, I doubt you'll be able to break them. So.. Why don't you just sit back and enjoy the show?"

She looked up at him angrily and pulled one last time..

It ended in the same result.

I tried to thrash his hand off of me, but he held on tight. "What the fuck are you gonna do to me! What did you mean by 'change my way of thinking'?", I said still trying to move his hand.. No such luck.

Suddenly, Scott held his scalpel right in front of my face and rotated it between his fingers. I stared at it in fear. I cut my eyes towards Chris and realized that she was staring at t too. What the hell did Scott have in mind..?

"Do you… know how important your brain is for the normal function of your body?", he finally asked.

I raised a brow and continued to stare at the tool he held.

I was silent.

..and so was Chris.

I heard him sigh. "Your brain controls everything.. Your body movements, your speech, your eyesight, your natural instinct… and, of course, your intellect..", he then pointed to his temple. "The mind… is a very mysterious and strange thing.."

Chris finally spoke up. "Stop rambling! What does that have to do with Riley?"

He chuckled. "I'm getting to that, sweetheart.."

I raised a brow.

_Sweetheart?_

Scott then moved in front of me and put his hands behind his back. But even though he was facing me, he still continued to turn his head towards Chris.

"Although the mind is easily the most complex part of your body, it is also the easiest part to… tamper with.", he continued.

I looked at this nigga like he was crazy. "What the hell are you talk-"

"SO EASY… to tamper with..", he cut me off. "So if I were to.. I don't know.. tamper with the part of his brain that controlled his intellect..", his voice trailed off.

Chris gasped . "You could… you could make him mentally disabled.."

My eyes went wide. "What, you mean this nigga can make me retarded! Uh uh, FUCK that! I ain't 'bout to let that shit happen!"

I couldn't believe this shit. This nigga was beyond crazy. He was fucking insane! This motherfucker should check his damn self into the crazy house. Cause it was obvious this nigga needed it. I mean.. he was gonna make me retarded? I ain't even know that shit was even possible! I REALLY needed to get my ass off of this damn table.

Chris shook her head quickly as if she were trying to shake the idea away. "Why? I mean… what would you gain from that!"

He smiled… it was a creepy smile. Then what he said next shocked me..

"Nothing… at least not anymore.."

It was then that I began to struggle some more. Not because I was trying to break free, but because I was pissed. "If you ain't got nothin' to gain from it, then don't do this stupid shit!

Scott regained his position back by my side and rested his hand on the table. "I'm sorry.. But I have to.. The deadline has passed."

I gave him a confused look. "Deadline? What deadline?

I looked at Chris and found that she looked just as confused as me.

What was he talking about?

He sighed. "It doesn't matter anymore. All that matters now is me doing what I have to do." He then put his hand back on my forehead for the third time. "Oh well.. Enough chit chat…"

"WAIT!"

He sighed, obviously getting annoyed by all of the interruptions. But hell, I was grateful for them. He took his hand off my forehead and I watched as he turned towards Chris and stared at her, waiting for her to say what she had to say..

But.. what she had to say shocked me..

"Do it to me."

"What?", Scott and I said in unison. He was just as surprised as me.

I shook my head quickly. "Nah, don't say that shit. He might actually do it!"

She lowered her head and bit her bottom lip. "If you have nothing to gain by doing the procedure on him, just do it to me."

I heard Scott laugh. "Oh, Christina. You always say things to get a certain reaction-"

"You're afraid he'll expose you.", she cut him off.

Scott gave her a surprised look… but was speechless. And that was the first time I ever saw him with nothing to say..

She looked up and stared right into his eyes. "What? That's why you're doing the procedure anyway, right? So he won't be in the right mental state to expose what you've been doing to us here..", her voice trailed off and she looked to the side as if she were in deep thought. She then looked back at him a few seconds later and continued.

"Even if Riley were to somehow get out, do you honestly think people would believe him if he told them? A crazy doctor who makes kids insane? Now that sounded stupid, doesn't it? I mean look at his personality. It's obvious that he's a troublemaker.. I wouldn't believe him if he told _me_!"

"AY! Hold up!", I exclaimed, offended.

She ignored me and continued. "But… if _I_ were to get out, and you _know_ I'm capable of doing so… Imagine the damage I could cause to you _and_ this place."

Scott was still silent. I knew Chris had his ass now.

"My dad basically kept your business afloat… Imagine his _own_ daughter coming out of the nowhere and telling everyone that everything you've worked on since he died has been a lie..", she then smirked cocked her head to the side. "Doesn't look good, does it?"

He was still silent.. And so was I. She was basically sacrificing herself for me… and it looked as if she ain't even care.

"So, if you're _that_ afraid of being exposed, do the procedure on me and leave Riley out of it."

The look on Scott's face was priceless. It was a look of fear and anger. I would've laughed if this situation wasn't so serious. I looked over at Chris and realized that her expression was still solid. She was seriously telling Scott to put her in my place? But that meant she'd never be the same girl ever again. And she was doing this all because she wanted to save me? Did she… care about me that much? Damn, I mean… I don't think I never met a girl that had as much heart as her.. I mean yeah, my homie Cindy was basically a ride or die chick, but if that was _her_ chained to the wall, I think she would let my ass go full retard.

I think Scott was just as surprised as I was, because he was silent the entire time. Was… he actually considering putting her in my place? Yeah, it probably would mean better for him.. I mean, he'd have to be a fucking dumbass not to take her up on that offer.. But where would that leave me? Would he chain me up to the wall in her place? Or would he just keep me here as another one of his patients? Shit, he might even fuck up both of our minds if he was really smart..

The sound of Chris clearing her throat broke me out of my train of thought.

"Well?", she urged.

Scott seemed to break out of some deep thinking too, because he suddenly looked at her and raised his brow. That smirk he had on his face assured me that he agreed with her idea of switching places with me..

…Or so I thought.

He smiled. "You bring up an extremely valid point, Christina. I'm proud of you. You've definitely inherited your father's intellect..", He then walked right up to me and placed his hand on my forehead again. "..But I'm afraid I have to turn you down on your offer.."

Chris' stern face suddenly turned angry. "What? WHY?"

He chuckled. "Look, Christina.. I don't know why you're so infatuated with this boy, but my mind has been made up from the beginning.. It _has_ to be him.."

Chris clenched up her teeth. "But WHY does it have to be him? Riley has _NOTHING_ to do with any of this!"

The sound of Scott slamming his scalpel down on my table made both me and Chris jump. I looked up and realized that Scot held an evil expression on his face. It made my jaw drop. What happened? What did she say that pissed him off so much? Did she hit some kind of nerve or something? Even though he looked like he as about to murder everyone in the room, he ain't say nothing.. He was just silent. It scared me.. And I know it scared Chris too cause she just stared at him in shock..

But after a few seconds.. He finally spoke. I was surprised at how calm his voice sounded.

"..Nothing to do with this?", he started as he walked towards Chris slowly.

"You said he has _NOTHING _to do with this?", he continued as he kneeled down in front of her. I watched in horror as he grabbed her chin and lifted it up towards his face. Chris struggled to get out of his grip, but he seemed to hold on tightly. Was he gonna hurt her?

I calmed down a bit when he finally let go of her chin. But what he had to say next made me more confused than I had ever been while I was here..

"Christina… Riley Freeman has _EVERYTHING _to do with this…"

…And then it was silent.

My spit caught in my throat as soon as he said those words. I knew he already knew who I really was, but to hear him call me by my whole name scared me for some reason.. I ain't know what was going on… I knew Chris was confused as hell too, because she just stared at me like I was the one who had all the answers. But.. I didn't. I really didn't. Before I got here, I ain't never seen this nigga anytime in my life! So what the fuck did he have against me?

I just didn't understand..

I ain't understand anything anymore..

Suddenly, Scott stood up and straightened his lab coat. He adjusted his glasses on his face and cleared his throat. It was like his whole personality changed in just a few seconds. I could never guess what he was gonna do or say next… and that shit freaked me the fuck out.

"Forgive me..", he began in a calm tone. "I seemed to have lost my composure for a little while… But I'm okay now.."

My heart began to beat faster when he turned to give me a sinister look.

He grinned. "Now… where was I?"

I balled up my fists. Here we go again.. I knew the routine far too well. He was gonna walk up to me, put his hand on my forehead and pin my head on the table again. I just wished Chris had something else to say to distract him for a little while longer, but she just sat there on he floor with her head down.. Everything she already said didn't do any good.. So was there anything else to say? Did she just give up?

It was obvious that none of that mattered…

…because Scott finally started to walk towards me..

"Scott… stop…", I heard Chris mumble.

But he just kept walking towards me slowly.

"Leave him alone Scott.."

He was silent. He just kept walking..

"Don't do this… please.."

He didn't listen.

When he finally made it to me, he grabbed my forehead and looked down on me with a grin. I swallowed hard.

Chris continued to plead with him.

"Stop it… Don't do this!"

But he still wouldn't listen. It was like he was just zoning her out.

I clenched my fists tighter when he tilted my head to the side…

He grabbed his scalpel..

"Scott!"

He was about to begin the procedure… and I couldn't even fight back.

So.. I closed my eyes

"NO! Scott!"

…and waited for the first cut..

"NO! …UNCLE SCOTT! I said STOP!"


	16. Chapter 15

LOL I like how everybody literally said "WHAT THE FUUUUCK!" to my last chapter. Hehe, it means I'm doing a great job with the surprises!

* * *

_Uncle… Uncle… UNCLE?_

I violently shook my head, trying to erase that word from my thoughts. I knew from the very beginning it was just something Chris used to distract him some more. I knew he wasn't _really _her uncle. I mean, how the fuck would that be possible? Scott's WHITE! I had to chuckle to myself for a few seconds. I bet Scott was confused as hell.

..I mean.. I _know _he was confused… because he was just staring at her… in silence.

_Damn, girl. You got that nigga mind all fucked up.. _

Seeing as though Scott temporarily forgot about me, I thought this was the perfect time to try to continue to undue my straps.. But before I did, I shot a quick glance over to Maria. She'd been quiet the whole time, so I knew she was confused too. But when I saw the look on her face, I knew that something was wrong..

She was just staring at Chris. In anger. Her arms were crossed tightly across her chest and her eyes were so narrowed, I could hardly see any white. I ain't never seen her.. angry before. Even when Scott smacked the hell out of her, she didn't look like this. What the hell was going on with her?

It also surprised me when Scott suddenly walked over to Chris… leaving his scalpel right by my hand.. I quickly grabbed it and concealed it the best way I could. I was lucky no one saw.. This could be my only chance to break free..

I bet Chris was cracking the fuck up on the inside. Having someone randomly call you 'Uncle' was just weird as hell. I shook my head at the thought and glanced over to Chris.. But something was different about her.. My eyes went wide at the sight. She was doing something I ain't never seen her do during my whole fucked up stay here..

There were tears in her eyes…

She was… crying..

But.. why?

I raised a brow when Scott began to speak..

"I haven't…", he began as he kneeled down in front of the teary eyed Chris. "I…I haven't heard… you call me that in.. in so long.."

"Uncle Scott, I…I..", Chris replied as tears started to stream down her face. She then lowered her head and sniffed..

I couldn't believe this shit. She was… actually crying! But why? And what did Scott mean when he said that? There was no way.. NO fucking way that he was actually her uncle..

….was it?

Could she really be serious..?

I shook my head quickly. This had to be some kind of fucked up joke!

"Is you serious?", I began with a nervous laugh. "This nigga ain't your uncle! He's white!"

Chris still wouldn't look up at me. But what she said next made my eyes go as wide as dinner plates..

"Yeah… Scott's white..", she began with a slight sniffle. "..And so was my dad.."

* * *

"One thing.. I asked you to do ONE thing!"

By this time, my voice had risen quite a few octaves and my heart beat started to go so fast, I could barely keep up with it. Why? Why did everything have to go so wrong tonight? Tonight of ALL nights? I looked over at my granddad and stared at him in disbelief. I couldn't believe it. Leave it to _him_ to mess everything up.

You know? I don't know why I even asked him to assist me. I could've went to anybody.. ANYBODY. Tom, Sarah.. I could've even asked Ruckus! …You know.. If I told him a little white kid's life was in danger..

But as we sat there.. In the middle of literally nowhere.. I began to think about all the horrible things that my brother could be going through at the moment.. I suddenly tensed up at a sudden realization.. He was my brother… My _only_ brother.. And he's been there for so long.. I even began to wonder, for a split second, if he was even still alive..

I felt my chest tighten as that thought ran through my mind..

I then closed my eyes… I just had to.. Because I wouldn't allow any moisture to fall from them.

"Huey…"

I didn't look at him. I just couldn't. Because if I did… there was no telling what I would do. Strangle him? Break down crying? That first option seemed a little better overall.

"Huey… look."

I didn't want to look at anything but my brother's face right now.. Nothing could be better than that. But as I slowly cracked open my eye.. What I saw almost made me question my beliefs.

What was I looking at?

Was it…

Was it the light of an angel?

* * *

I couldn't believe what I was hearing.. Her pops… was white?

I quickly looked towards her and studied her features. And the more I did it, the more I saw that she ain't look mixed at all. She looked… well… like me. She ain't even have good hair!

Huey's friend, Jazmine was mixed. She also had light skin and lots of light brown nappy ass hair.

I studied Chris' face some more, trying to look for some similarities between her and Jazmine.

I ain't see none.

By this time, Chris had gotten her tears under control. I ain't know what started them in the first place. It couldn't be because she was scared for me… Maybe she just wanted to distract Scott some more.

Yeah, that had to be it..

"Please… just stop all this.. It's gone too far..", Chris said, looking up at Scott. The look on her face wasn't sad anymore. It was stern.

I heard Scott sigh.

I watched as he rested his hand on Chris' shoulder. It looked like he was trying to console her or some shit. Was that nigga serious? Did he really think that would calm her down? She obviously thought the same thing… because she quickly thrashed around to get his hand off of her.

"It's too late. I _have_ to… This has to happen tonight, sweetheart..", he replied in a stern voice of his own.

I raised a brow when I realized how stiff she had gotten.

She clenched up her fists.

"Don't… call me that..", she mumbled.

"What?", he asked, confused.

"DON'T call me that.."

"But.. I've always called you-"

"SHUT UP! DON'T CALL ME THAT!", she bellowed. I watched as she began to violently shake her head back and forth.

…and at that point I realized that she was having another one of her episodes.

She just kept shaking her head back and forth. Her movements became faster and faster as time went by. She then grabbed both sides of her head and started pulling her hair. Her eyes were clenched shut and she was mumbling something. Something I couldn't make out.

I looked on in horror as clumps of her hair began to fall out on the floor.

And… I don't know why… but I soon felt my eyes become a little wet.

I quickly looked towards the side and blinked the moisture away.

What the hell was wrong with me?

"Shut up.. Just SHUT UP!", she began to yell; her hands still grasping on her hair. "Don't call me that! You're not allowed to call me that! Not ANYMORE!", She then opened her eyes and looked towards the ground.

Scott, who was silent during her rant, finally spoke up.

"I'm not allowed?", he began with a shaky tone. "I'm your uncle. I can call you whatever I want-"

"NO!", she cut him off. "You're NOT my uncle! NOT ANYMORE!"

_WHAP!_

I jumped at the sound and gasped as I watched Chris' body collapse on the ground. Scott was breathing heavily and his hand was frozen in the air. I can't believe this nigga just hit her like that! She must've hit a huge nerve with this crazy bastard. I watched as Chris gently touched her face. Her head was facing down, so I couldn't see the damage Scott had done… but what she did next confused me. No… it _scared _me.

To my surprise… she started to giggle.

I raised a brow at the sound.. And Maria, who had been grinning ever since Chris got smacked, looked confused as hell too What was going on?

Chris' giggle suddenly turned into full on laughter. She then began to slowly pull herself off of the floor. I watched as Scott edged back a little. Was he… scared?

When Chris finally got into a stable position on the floor, She looked up at Scott with a devious grin.

What did she have in mind?

"What?", she began. "Did I hit a nerve, Scott?"

Scott was silent.

I watched as Chris cut her eyes towards me. She gave me the weirdest look ever. Like she was trying to tell me something. And just at that second, I saw her point to her chains. Just a little. I raised a brow at her actions. What did she mean by that? Did she want me to help her out of her chains? No, it couldn't be that. How could I do that and I was still locked down myself? I had to break my own shit before I tried to help her.

Wait..

Did she ant me to…

Yeah.. I knew she did.

So as soon as she started talking again, I took Scott's hidden scalpel and began to pry the restraints from the table.

"Why did you hit me, Scott? Hmm? I mean… it couldn't be because I said you weren't my uncle anymore… Could it?", she asked.

Scott was still quiet. I mean.. it was like that nigga was lost for words.

"Can you even argue with me on that? I mean… what kind of uncle would keep kids, including his own niece, sick for the rest of their lives… just for money?", she asked with a giggle. "You can't even be considered a man, let alone my uncle..", she laughed.

Damn… that was cold. But it _did _have an effect on him, because I saw him ball up his fists. I just hoped he wasn't gonna hit her again…

"But do you know who was a real man?", she continued with a sly look on her face.

I heard Scott swallow..

"My dad.", she said with a smile. "He had everything you didn't. He had the good looks, the great job, the intellect-"

Like a lion attacking a gazelle, Scott quickly rushed towards her and grabbed her by her neck. He lifted her high in the air and smashed her small body against the wall. She started to cough and struggle against his hand, but he just wouldn't let go.

I started to scream. To call out this sick fuck's name, but Chris quickly gave me a look. Even though it was really strained, I still saw that her face told me to shut up. I nodded slowly and continued to fiddle with my straps. And even though she could barely get her words out, Chris continued to taunt the doctor.

"Y-you were always so jealous of him..", she struggled. "..So quick to t-try and beat him at everything.. But you…. a-always lost.."

"I could do ANYTHING he could do! No… I could do it BETTER!", Scott finally yelled after his small hiatus on speaking.

I heard her stifle a chuckle. "N-no.. You couldn't..", she then tried to reach for his arms to try to ease her suffering a little, but her chains wouldn't reach that high, so she was forced to just hang there at Scott's will.

She coughed. "You were second best… and you _always _will be.."

And to my relief, he finally dropped her. She fell to the ground and coughed as if she were coughing up a lung. But even though you could barely make her out, she still continued to attack this nigga's manhood.

She laughed. "It's really sad once you think about it…"

"Shut up, you _ungrateful_ little-"

"Ungrateful?"

"Yes!", Scott yelled. He then pointed a finger in her direction. "Who took you in after you had nowhere else to go? Who took care of you for years without any complaints?", he then flailed his arms in the air. He was obviously on a roll. "Who was on your side this whole time?", he pointed to himself. "Me! It was all ME!"

Chris laughed at his words… and I know that pissed him off a hell of a lot more because even though his back was turned towards me, I could see him trembling. I knew he was about to explode.

"Took me in? Cared for me? On my side?", she repeated his words as if she were dumbfounded. "You and I both know the only reason you took me in was because it was one more way to one-up Daddy!"

My eyes went wide at her words. Not because they surprised me, but because I never heard her refer to her pops as.. 'Daddy'. I mean… she sounded so… childlike when she said it. It reminded me of how Jazmine sounded when she said it. So innocent…

But Chris was anything but innocent..

"What are you talking about!", Scott exclaimed.

"Don't be stupid! You only wanted me to come here because you wanted to prove to everyone that you could finally do something better than him!"

He crossed his arms. "And what might that be?"

"RAISING ME!"

Scott then turned towards me and put a hand on his head as if he were exhausted. I quickly hid the scalpel and stood completely still. There was no waY I was gonna let him catch me now.

Not when I was so close..

I watched as Chris sighed and lowered her head.

"I killed them.. I killed my OWN parents… I admit it. And to this day , I don't even know why… And I know I need help.. But even though you let me stay here… that doesn't mean ever you gave one shred of a _shit_ about me.."

Scott quickly turned towards her. "SHUT UP!", he yelled. "I loved you! Took you in like you were my own!"

"You NEVER loved me, Scott! And you KNOW it!"", she yelled right back. "You were so quick to take me in… just because you wanted to 'fix' me. Fix my Dad's little mistake."

Scott ain't say nothing. He was just staring at her.

Man, this whole situation was so fucked up. I would've never known there was so much shit going on with Scott and Chris. If I would've heard all this crazy info the first day I got here, I would've NEVER believed it. I raised a brow.. Maybe that's why Chris ain't tell me everything in the beginning. That's why she kept holding things back.. Cause she knew I couldn't handle all that shit.. Damn… she was one smart girl…

Chris broke off my train of thought when she started talking again.

"You never loved me..", she then chuckled and looked towards the silent Maria. "You don't even love your own daughter.."

It was then that Scott got really pissed. He pointed in her direction. "You SHUT your MOUTH! Of COURSE I love her!"

"Right… making her a sex slave to old men _really_ shows your love-"

Scott's foot was so fast, I didn't even see him pull it back…. But I did see him force it in her stomach.

I could literally hear all the air rush out of her body. She fell on her side and held her stomach tightly, coughing up a little blood. Her mouth was open, but no sound came out.. I knew that she was in some serious pain.. And I ain't like seeing her like that. So I'ma just be real… If this motherfucker hit her one more time, I was gonna get his ass back.

And that was some real fuckin' talk.

"My daddy DOES love me, Christina!"

All eyes turned to Maria. She had her arms by her sides and her fists were balled up. She was trembling. I guess she was finally tired of being the quiet one in the room. But before she could utter another word, Chris cut her off with a forced laugh.

"Shut up, Maria… You're n-no better than him."

I watched as Chris struggled to face Maria. I could see little drops of blood rolling down her chin as she spoke.

"What are you talking about, stupid?", Maria exclaimed.

Chris rolled her eyes. "You know exactly what I'm talking about., _little cousin.._", she then looked over at Scott and back towards Maria. "You know you love every minute of the _rape._"

"SHUT UP!", Scott yelled.

"That's a LIE! You're LYING!", Maria yelled as she ran towards Chris and pushed her back down on the ground. I expected Chris to cry out in pain because of Scott's previous kick. But she didn't…

She just laughed.

And laughed… and laughed… and laughed.

"Look at you, Maria!", she exclaimed as she rolled awkwardly on her side. "Seven years old, and you're already a _slut!_"

_THUMP, BAM, THUMP!_

Scott was just wailing on her now. But this time, Maria joined in on the beating. Kicking and punching Chris' small frame. Her screams of pain were echoing throughout the whole room and I could see her spitting out blood every few seconds.. At this rate, I knew she wouldn't last long.. So without even thinking about it, I balled up my fists tightly. I narrowed my eyes. And I clenched my jaw shut… Because there, at that very moment…

I realized it was time to act.

I easily lifted my body off of the table. Chris' talking and distracting them from what I was doing gave me time to pry off my straps. As soon as I broke off the first one, the rest of them were easy. Being locked up a hundred times by Huey finally came in handy for once. I was just lucky that I got finished with the last strap as soon as Chris started to get jumped. But now wasn't the time to reflect on how lucky I was, because right now, Chris needed me..

And I was gonna be there for her.

Just like she always was for me.

I quickly jumped off the table, scalpel in hand, and with shaky legs I ran towards Scott. And without a second to spare I dug the scalpel deep in his leg. I even twisted it a little to hurt this motherfucker a little more.

Scott's scream was loud. Too loud. Because I knew that if his guards heard it, they'd come running to his rescue. Which meant I had to be quick.

As Scott fell to the ground, Maria ran to his aid, which meant Chris was exposed. I quickly ran up to her and studied her for a few seconds. She looked a mess. Bloody, bruised, and purple. She was twitching. It fucked with me, man.. But I ain't have time to get in my feelings, cause I had to get her out of there.

I quickly grabbed the rusted chains and pulled with all my might. And to my surprise, they actually gave way. Scott was right.. They weren't strong.. But I continued to pull because my time was running out. I quickly glanced behind me and saw Scott struggling to take the scalpel out of his leg… and it looked like he was making progress. I quickly turned back and continued to pull.

And on the fifth try, they finally snapped.

"Chris.. Chris!", I yelled as I tried to help her up. "Come on ,girl.. get up. It's time to go!"

Even though she was badly beaten and it probably even hurt for her to move an inch, she struggled to lift herself up. She was grunting and moaning from the pain, but just when I nearly had her on her feet, a sound scared the shit out of me, which caused me to drop her right back down on the ground. She screamed at the sudden impact.

"Shit! I'm sorry!", I exclaimed, as I looked around the room. I couldn't believe what I was hearing..

It was an alarm.

…a loud one.

But who set the shit off?

I quickly looked back and saw that Scott managed to crawl towards the far end of the room only to pull a red lever in the corner. Maria was still by his side with a worried expression on her face. Scott was just staring at me with a grin… like he knew we were about to die. But I wasn't gonna let that shit happen.

"Come on, Chris! We gotta move!", I yelled as I tried to help her off the floor a second time. She struggled for a few seconds, but I finally managed to get her up on her feet and moving. I put my arm around her waist to steady her some more, and we began to walk slowly towards the exit.

But before we left, an idea popped into my head. I looked left, then right for something.. ANYTHING I could use as some sort of weapon. But all he had in the room was small medical supplies. Nothing that could be useful. So I ain't have a choice but to just leave the room empty handed. My heart started to race.. Because I knew at any moment dozens of guards would be on our asses chasing us down.

…with their guns.

I shook that thought away when I looked down at Chris. Her eyes were half open and it looked like she was in a painful daze. I knew I had to get her out of there and me being a punk ass bitch wasn't gonna help me do that.. So at that moment, I knew I had to stop being scared..

…and start being gangsta.

So I adjusted my arm one more time around Chris' waist… and took a deep breath as we stumbled out into the darkened hallway.


	17. Chapter 17

**I'm just gonna get straight to the point, because I know you all are itching to read this chapter. Finally, right? Haha. The last few months were hell. Tying to find a job, go to school, etc. It's just been hard for me. But like I said, before, I NEVER leave unless it was for a good reason. So I'm back to finish this story once and for all! We're nearing the end of this twisted tale.**

**I just hope everyone's still hanging on with me. And for those of you who are, I'd just like to say, thank you for your patience. You've really given me the drive to finish this.**

* * *

So… there we were..

The two of us.

Out in the hallway. I had decided to walk in the direction we would've gone in if we ain't get jumped by Maria and Scott. But just because I was walking in that direction ain't mean I knew the rest of the way. Only Chris knew… and I don't think she was in any position to talk.. I ain't even know how she could stand.. The way they were fucking her up, she probably needed some type of surgery by now..

I sighed at the thought adjusted my arm around Chris' waist a few more times. She just kept slipping with every step we took. Well… if you could call it a 'step.' It was more like a half wobble slide type thing. But I ain't care what it was, as long as we was moving. I just wished that we could pick up the pace a little. If Scott caught us now, neither of us would be in a good position to fight his crazy ass off. Not this time.

My eyes went wide when I felt something wet near my side. It felt like someone had spilled water on my clothes or some shit. I looked down only to find that it my white clothes were now stained with a dark liquid. But where did it come from?

Suddenly realizing who I was holding, I quickly brought Chris' slumped head up enough to see what the damage was. I didn't stop walking, because I ain't want anything to slow us down.. But after my eyes finally focused to the darkness, and after I got a good look at her face… I swallowed hard.

…because it was just as I thought.

It was kind of dark, but I could still see the blood that was slowly falling from her mouth. It wasn't a lot, but it was enough for me to realize that we needed to get some help ASAP. Before Chris coughed up any more blood… before she..

"_Shit_..", I mumbled as I shook that thought away. I couldn't get in my feelings right now. If I did, I knew that would distract me from what I needed to do to get us out of here. So there was no time to be a little bitch. I had to keep on my toes..

It was then that we suddenly came to the end of the hallway. I stopped dead in my tracks and looked around in confusion. I had a choice of going straight, left, or right.. But I ain't know which path to take! All these damn hallways looked the same! I looked down at Chris to see if she had noticed the trouble we were in, but she just kept her head slumped. Like she was lifeless.

I was officially on my own now.

And that proved to be dangerous… because right then, I heard some fast footsteps behind me.

I looked left, then right. But there was no dark corner that we could sink in to. No place we could hide. So, with Chris still by my side, I quickly stumbled over to the wall and pressed our bodies against it the best way I could. I knew that shit was useless, though. I knew that no matter how hard we pressed against that wall, whoever it was, was definitely gonna see us in seconds. I lowered my head in shame..

Shit… we almost got away…

But before I could sulk, I heard something that made my heart stop.

"I'm scared…"

"What is it?"

"Too loud!"

"What?", I said out loud in confusion as I looked in the direction of the voices.

And to my surprise, they were kids.

I looked at them as they passed by us. It was like they ain't even see us standing there! They just looked around the hallways like they was scared. I raised a bow as they began to wander in different directions. Some were mumbling to themselves. Some were holding themselves tightly as they walked. And some were even covering their ears. And as soon as I saw that, it dawned on me.

The noise from the alarm must've scared them… to death.

They never locked the doors to the kid's rooms so it was understandable that they would wander out as soon as they heard the noise.

If they were guards, or even Scoot, we would've been fucked..

"..eft…"

I quickly looked down at Chris. Did I hear her say something? …Or was it just my imagination?

I quickly propped her up on the wall and helped her hold her head up. Her mouth was moving, but nothing was coming out. It was then that I realized that she was struggling.

"Whatchu' say?", I asked in a whisper.

I watched as she looked up at me with sleepy eyes. Both of which, were blackened.

"…eft..". she mumbled. "L-left.."

"Left?", I repeated just to make sure I heard her correctly.

She nodded a little, which made her slip. Luckily she grabbed my waist before she hit the ground.

I then looked back up the hallway where the kids had come from. I knew that the longer we stayed her near this wall, the more danger we were in..

So, if she wanted to go left, then shit, left was where we was going!

So without a second thought, I grabbed her small frame once more and placed her arm around my shoulder.; my arm around her waist once again. Normally I would've been trying to get away from this girl. I mean, with her bleeding all over a that.. But right at this moment, when crazy ass guards was on our asses, when we had the risk of never getting out of this shithole… Well, lets just say a little blood wasn't gonna slow me down.

After a few seconds of getting our feet and steps situated, we finally managed to turn down the hallway to our left… and to my surprise, it lead to a single wooden door.

..a dead end.

My mouth dropped and my eyes went wide. I just had to know what was going on. I had to tell Chris that she made a mistake.

"Chris.. Ain't nothing on this hallway, we gotta turn arou-"

"The d-door..", I heard her whisper.

I raised a brow, confused. "What about the door?"

"Go… go through it…"

When I heard her response, I gave her a weird look. The door looked like it leaded to some type of janitors closet. It couldn't be our way out.. Maybe all that beating she went through was making her confused.. But then again, she DID know this place inside and out.. So it was possible that she knew which doors were placed to mislead kids from trying to get out..

Maybe.. I should just trust her..

"Iight.. ", I said with a sigh as we began our approach to the door.

I hoped she was right, because if she wasn't, I knew that she probably wouldn't be any help from this point on.. I would have to find my way out all on my own.. And that would probably get us both killed.

When we finally made it to the door, I gently let go of her hand around my shoulders, relying on the hand around her waist to carry her full weight. I then placed my hand of the doorknob and turned it slightly.. My heart began to beat quickly when I realized it wasn't locked. If Chris' sense of direction was still working, and if this was actually the way out of this fucked up place, I knew that no matter what happened in the past, everything would finally be okay.. Even Chris would get the help she needed.. Shit, they'd probably get me some kind of cash award for helping her. It was no surprise that I was looking forward to that shit..

I broke out of my train of thought when I realized Chris was gently nudging me to open the door. So.. I didn't waist anymore time.

So.. Closing my eyes, and taking a deep breath, I finally yanked open the door…

…only to reveal a small janitors closet.

* * *

"Sir, they've escaped. How do we proceed?"

He chuckled as he bandaged up his leg wound. "I highly doubt that."

"Well, where do you think they went?"

Scott looked up at the armed guard with a grin. "They went… to get "situated".

The guard looked confused. "…Sir?"

After the bandage was tight enough, Scott stumbled to his feet and leaned on the nearest wall; a grin still apparent on his sweaty face. "They're still in the building.."

"R-Really? How do you know?". the guard stammered.

Scott grinned. "Because… if I know Christina.. I know she's not going to lead him out. _Not yet._"

"So.. How should we proceed?"

He grinned and eyed the weapon that rested at the guard's side. "What we should've done in the first place.."

* * *

"No… NO!", I yelled. And I ain't give a fuck who heard me. "Chris! This is a fuckin' closet! We went the wrong way!"

I wasn't mad at her. I mean, how could I be? Chris was probably dying right here in my arms this very second.. So I knew that she probably would get turned around easily. Man, I was just pissed that we wasted more time. Now we had to turn around and start all over again.

And maybe, run into Scott during the process.

"W-we.."

I leaned in towards her face. "Yeah, I know. We went the wrong way. You have to think of another-

"Go… in.."

"…What?", I raised a brow, confused.

She coughed a little, which made more blood fly out of her mouth and make a soft "splat" on the ground. I looked away. I just couldn't take this shit anymore.. I couldn't handle seeing someone… _her_… in this state.

It was then that she looked up at me; her eyes dazed and cloudy looking. She took a deep breath. "Go inside.. T-trust me.."

I thought about it for a few seconds.. Should I trust her? She was probably so confused right now, that she didn't know her left from her right! I didn't want to take the wrong way and put our asses in more danger than we were already in. So… should I just turn us around and find another route? Chris might get pissed and put up a fight, because let's be real, she's been here WAY longer than me, so its only natural that she knows the correct way. But what if she didn't realize that we was actually going the _wrong _way.. I mean, she DID have two black eyes.. It was probably hard for her to see. So.. what if I went the other way and surprisingly found the right way out? Then not following her directions would be the best for her..

Shit.. _SHIT/! _So many fucking choices to make in a little bit of time. I _hate _being under pressure like this, man!

Sometimes.. I think I deal with shit _way_ past my age.

Feeling Chris' body move forward broke me out of my trance. Maybe I was taking too long to make a decision, because she was slowly trying to move us towards the small closet. I moved with her... slowly… still hesitant about this being the right decision. But she never stopped. She just walked us right into the darkened closet. It was so dark in there that I had to struggle to see my hand in front of my face. It was at this time when I realized, that maybe now was the time to speak up..

"Chris, uhh..", I began, struggling in the darkness. "Let's try another way.. So, uhh..", I hesitated as I tried to gently pull her in the other direction. "This uh... is kind of… a closet. Can't be the way out, so let's just-

But before I could finish my sentence, Chris turned and slowly reached up along the wall, only to hit a small light switch that was nearly impossible to see.

The light was bright. So bright, I had to shield my eyes from it's glare.. But when I finally got used to the sensation, I looked around in surprise.

It was still a closet.. But it was filled with tons of… medical supplies! Bandages, medicine, pills, Peroxide, Ace Bands, everything!

My eyes went wide as I scanned the room… and I slowly realized why she brought us here. There was no way she'd be able to make it out of here without at least _some _kind of medical help.

..I swallowed hard. She knew where she was going all along.. Maybe I should've trusted her more.

I then looked down at her, still in shock, only to find out that she was staring up at me.

She got closer to me and forced a little smile..

"Dummy.."

* * *

Finally. I was finally on my way to save the only brother I had. The brother I deeply loved. Wow.. Never thought I'd admit that…

You know, it's funny. I've always.. _always _loved my brother to death. Getting him out of every scrap of trouble he was in… _AND_ beating his ass to _prevent _him from getting in trouble in the first place. But, now that I think on it… I've realized that I only did all that stuff because… well… he was my brother… and that it was kind of my _job_ to care for him. To protect him. Because we were family, and that's what family was _supposed_ to do. But it's here, at this very moment, that I finally realized... just how important he really is to me. I guess it's a shame that it took him being kidnapped to finally realize all of this. Wow… I guess I haven't really been doing my job as a big brother.. Keeping him out of trouble, yeah… But loving him like I should've been doing all along and showing it? That's something that I've never allowed myself to do..

But not anymore.

From now on, I'm going be the big brother that Riley needs me to be. Whether he, or I, like it or not.

Hmm… 'Big Brother Huey Freeman.'

I sighed to myself.

This… is going to take some getting used to.

My words caught in my throat..

I just.. I just couldn't speak.

..And as much as I wanted to take my eyes off of her.. to look away… I knew I couldn't bring myself to do it.

We had taken refuge in that small closet and closed the door. It was Chris' idea to put a towel under the door frame to keep the light from the closet from seeping into the hallway. Even in the fucked up state she was in, she still had her common sense. It was safe to say, and… I'd never admit this out loud, but.. she was officially one of the smartest girls I've ever met. And, I guess that came with the territory, seeing as though her father was a doctor and all.

I just…I just wish she was smart enough not to.. you know…. kill him.

I shook that thought from my head because honestly.. I just couldn't focus on that right now. My eyes were glued on Chris, who was sitting across from me.

Since we were walking in a dim light all this time, I never really got to chance to see how bad she was hurt… but now that we were in this bright closet, I could clearly see every bruise, scrape, and wound. Looking at her made me sick to my stomach. Not because it made me nauseous, but because it really fucked with me to see her like that.

Her once all white clothes were stained with a sickening dark red and her white shoes matched. Even when she took a step, I could hear the soft 'squish' of blood under her feet. But despite her clothes, her face was by far the worst. I mean.. I hardly recognized her anymore. Her eyes were black and swollen.. Her lip was busted and bleeding, and it seemed that there wasn't an inch of smooth skin on her entire face. I couldn't help but wonder… How the fuck did she make it? How did she last this long? What was giving her the strength to keep going?

I sighed at the thought. Maybe I would never know. But what I did know.. Was that she was one strong girl..

I shook my head at the thought and continued to watch her closely..

She was sitting silently, trying her best to bandage her wounds. Her scarred up legs, her bleeding stomach, and her dripping forehead. She even had some peroxide and alcohol to put in some of the sores. "S-so it wont get inf-fected..", I remembered her saying.

Now, don't think that I'm an asshole, cause… I DID offer to help her. I really did! But she just refused. So I just sat across from her, leaned my back against the wall and just stared at her in silence. How could someone who's in as much anguish as her bandage every wound and put medicine on every scrape without complaining once about the pain? She wasn't no normal girl, that much was for sure.

She must've felt my eyes on her, because she quickly looked up at me. And what she said next shocked me.

"Stop it..", she said softly.

Since she had some time to rest and clean most of the blood from her mouth, she could speak more clearly. I think some of her teeth were chipped and broken..

I raised a brow, confused. "Huh? Stop what?"

She looked towards the side, one of the things she always did, and sighed. She then grabbed a cotton swab, drenched it with peroxide, and began to dab her open forehead wound with it. She flinched at the pain. "Stop looking at me like that.."

I straightened up and gave her a confused look. I ain't understand.. How was I looking at her? "What is you talking about? How am I-"

"You… you _don't_ have to look at me like that. I… I _know_ I'm ugly, okay? Just _stop_ it, please.", she said, her voice finally rising from a whisper.

My mouthed dropped a little when I heard her words. It was then that I realized, that maybe I _was _looking at her with a weird look on my face. Like I thought she was ugly… But it wasn't that.. I was just… kind of worried about her.. She had been through so much shit in the past few hours that I just ain't know how she could ever get back to normal.. And that shit bothered me.

"N-no, it ain't that..!", I stammered.

She stopped swabbing her head with peroxide and looked up at me. "Then... what is it?"

I swallowed hard and looked towards the side. I wasn't expecting her to ask me that. "Uhh.. It's just.. That… umm..", I stammered.

"…Well?", she urged.

I looked back towards her and shrugged my shoulders. "I just… I… I just.. ", I scratched my head and sighed. "Look… are.. are you okay?"

That was the only thing I could choke out..

She gave me a somber look and nodded her head a little. But she didn't say anything. She just continued to swab the gash on her forehead. She kept flinching each time the swab made contact with the wound. And it was then that I realized that Chris had been through enough. And I wasn't gonna sit here like a bitch and do nothing..

So, without thinking about it, I rushed over towards her and grabbed the blood soaked swab from her hands.

"W-what are you…!", she exclaimed, surprised.

But I ignored her and tossed the swab to the side. I then grabbed a clean hand towel and doused it with alcohol. I would've used the peroxide, but this wound looked more serious than all the rest. And to me, alcohol worked better anyway. Granddad always used to say, 'If it burns, it's working.' And… alcohol burned like a _bitch._

"Riley, stop it. I can do it myself..!", she protested, trying to push me away.

"Uhh.. this is gonna burn a little, iight?", I said, ignoring her.

"No, WAIT!"

I then pressed the towel directly on the wound.. And once I did, she couldn't hold back her scream. She then grabbed both of my shoulders and squeezed them hard, letting out yet another yell.

"My bad, my bad, stay still!", I said, trying to hold the towel in place. But she just kept squirming around. The last thing I wanted was to see her in more pain, but I knew that _this_ pain was for her own good.

After a few more seconds of holding the towel on her head, Chris finally began to calm down. And that was good, because with all that yelling she did, I knew we couldn't stay in this closet for long… We had to keep moving. Scott _was_ still on our ass after all.

"No one told you to do that..", she said looking up at me, annoyed.

I dabbed her head a little. "Well, I did. So shut up."

Chris was silent.. But after a few more seconds, she began to laugh. I looked down at her, surprised.

"What's so funny?", I asked, raising a brow.

She shook her head a little. "My face looks _horrible_, doesn't it?", she asked with a small smile.

I looked at her and laughed a little. "Nah, I ain't worried about your face. It's your hair. My hand almost got caught in them naps."

She laughed and playfully hit me on the shoulder as best as she could. "My hair? Look at yours. Those cornrolls are looking kind of _cloudy.._", she said with another laugh.

I was glad she was feeling a little better.. But that still ain't change the fact that Scott was still trying to find us. So, I thought that now would be the best time to try and make our move.

"We need to go.. now.", Chris said, basically reading my mind.

I nodded and stood up. I reached down to help her up, but she stopped me.

"No.. let me try..", she said, struggling to get on her feet. She used the wall as a crutch in the process.

I watched as she clenched her eyes shut as she managed to pull herself upright. She was breathing hard. Probably out of breath from the struggle.

She sighed and looked up at me. "As much as I hate to admit it.. I… umm.. I might need your help… again.."

I nodded as I walked over to her and allowed her to put her arm around my shoulder. I chuckled. "Yup.. that's what I thought…"

"…Oh, shut up."

So, with me helping her, we both walked towards the door. I turned the light off before I opened it. We ain't need any extra light spilling into the hallway. I mean, who knows what we would've ran into as soon as we opened it. We would've been dead before we knew it.

I shook my head at the thought and grabbed the doorknob.

"Ready?", I asked, looking over at Chris.

"Nope.."

I sighed. "Me neither.."

And with that, I turned the knob and pushed the door open slowly.

* * *

We finally made it. Which meant I had to work fast if I wanted to get my brother out in time. I hopped out into the darkness and started to run full speed towards the building; the device clutched tightly in my hands. Luckily, there was no security out in front.. Which meant that something big was probably going down on the inside of the establishment. And… if I had to guess, it was probably caused by my brother… At least.. I _hoped_ it was…

Granddad stayed behind, of course. Just like he said he would. Maybe it was for the best. Because even I didn't know how all this was going to pan out.

"Wait!", a voice called out to me.

I stopped dead in my tracks and looked back at the other. "Look. It's now or never. I have to go _now."_

"But you're just a _kid_! What do you expect to do?", he protested.

I let out an annoyed sigh. I didn't have time for this! "You're gonna just have to trust me. Now let me go!"

"No! I can't just let a kid go wandering by himself. We just need to wait for the others!"

"We don't have _TIME_ to wait, dammit!"

It was then that he lunged at me. And at that moment, I knew I had no choice. So as soon as he made a grab for me, I kicked him hard in his right temple.

He was knocked out cold on the ground in a matter of seconds.

"Granddad!", I called to the vehicle.

A few seconds later, I heard some soft footsteps running towards me. I didn't wait for him to get close enough before I started explaining.

"Granddad, stay with him. And if he wakes up, don't let him go looking for me."

The old man stood by the body's side and panted. "What.. What did you do, boy? Kill him?"

I shook my head hard. "No! Look, I don't have time to explain. Just stay here with him and wait for the others. I don't have much time!"

And with that, I ran off into the darkness towards the building. After a few moments of running, I finally made it to the far side. It was then that I heard what appeared to be a siren. Something was definitely going on so I had to act fast. I knew that time was running out, so I set up shop right there and didn't hesitate to get to work. But before I could, some loud sounds made me jump. What was it? Gunshots? No… couldn't be..

Well, whatever it was, I didn't have time to sit there and ponder, so without a second thought, I cracked open the device and went right to work..

"Red wire crosses with the blue wire…"

* * *

When the door creaked open, I was surprised to see that the dim hallway was empty. I ain't even see any kids mindlessly wandering around. It was completely bare. And quiet. And I ain't know whether that was a good thing… or a bad thing.

"Go straight..", Chris said, looking around the area. She must've been thinking the same thing I was thinking. No kids? No guards? …No Scott? He should've really stepped up security after me and Chris escaped from his fucked up torture room. But here we were in the middle of what _should_ be chaos… and it was completely blank. Something was definitely wrong..

…And I ain't want to stay here and find out what it was.

So, we started to walk straight, just like she said. We were moving at a faster and more steady pace.. Which was good. Covering more ground was my top priority. I just wished I knew why the place seemed so damn lifeless.

"I don't like this..", I heard Chris mutter as we walked.

"Yeah… the hell is everybody?", I asked, glancing behind me. Still no one in sight.

"I don't know… But lets hurry. I have a bad feeling.."

And so did I. So we picked up the pace a little until we ended up on yet another intersection of hallways. It was like a fucking maze in this place! All these damn hallways looked the same and it was giving me a headache. I mean, how big was this place anyway? We've only been out here for a few minutes and it already felt like we've been walking miles and miles. This is fucking bullshit, I swear..

I looked over at Chris. "So, which way now?"

"Left.", she said, sighing. Even _she _was sick of all this twists and turns.

So, we turned left. I paused a little to adjust Chris' arm on my shoulder, but it was like she went limp all of a sudden.

"Come on girl, you have to help me out or somethin'", I said, struggling to keep her up. But she wasn't cooperating. "Chris!", I exclaimd, looking over at her. But she was staring straight ahead with the most terrified look on her face. "C-Chris…?", I stammered.

Damn.. I didn't want to look ahead… But I did anyway.. And I instantly regretted it.

Guards.

_All _of them…

Huddled in the small hallway, blocking our path.

They were all staring at us with evil grins on their faces. But that's not what made me almost shit myself.. No.. what made my heart stop was when I realized that all of them had their guns out..

..and they were pointed right at us.

"Th-they… were _waiting_ for us..", I heard Chris choke out.

"You're right, kid. Shocking, isn't it?", one of the guards in front said with a chuckle. I watched as he aimed the gun right at my chest and chuckled. And right then and there, I knew that my time was running out fast.. What were they gonna do to us..?

"Yeah, now do what we say, and no one gets hurt…", another guard called out.

"Just come with us..", one more added.

I was frozen in fear… and so was Chris. Should we just do what they said? I knew that I rather be strapped back there on that table than have a gun pointed at my face. But what was stopping them from just blowing our brains out as soon as we surrendered? Then I would've went out like a bitch! I wouldn't allow that no matter _what_ situation I was in. So… should we just run in the other direction? Chris was still hurt pretty bad and I knew that if we did run, we wouldn't be getting anywhere fast.. But there _were _enough hallways to turn on to and try to lose them.. It was a small chance, but we could take it if we were desperate enough… which I think we were. Besides, all of them couldn't shoot when they were all packed in like that. We'd be talking about three… maybe four guns actually being fired while the rest just stood ready just in case.

But three or four guns still sounded bad.

"Come on! We ain't got all night!". the first guard from earlier exclaimed.

I looked left, then right.. I just ain't know what to do!

"Riley…"

I cut my eyes over towards Chris. I watched as she slowly reached in her back pocket.

"When it's time… run."

And before I could answer her, Chris took an object from her back pocket and hurled it towards the guards. It was the kitchen knife from earlier! I forgot she still had it! I watched as the guards in front of the pact edged back, not knowing what the object was. Some of them even dropped their guns in surprise.

"RILEY! RUN!"

She ain't have to tell me twice.

And just like that, we took off running. We weren't going that fast, but shit, it was something. We turned right down a hallway and tried our best to get to another intersection. It took us a few seconds, but we finally made it. Now it was time to make a left. We ain't know where we was actually going, but anything was good enough to get away from the guards.

But my spit caught in my throat when I realized that it didn't take the guards long to get situated.

_POP, POP, POP!_

"SHIT!", I exclaimed as bullets flew past my head.

I heard Chris scream from the sound and she tried her best to go as fast as she could. We did pick up the pace a little, but I knew in my heart that maybe it wouldn't be enough. I don't know why I did it, but I glanced back. The guards were some distance away, but they were gaining fast. I guess those three bullets were warning shots, because as close as they were, they could've hit us if they really wanted to. My heart was pounding so hard, I thought it was gonna pop out of my chest. Because I knew that at any moment, one of their bullets would find their way in my back.

There! I see it! Another group of hallways. I just really hoped that when we turned it, there would be some kind of room we could hide in. We just had to make it. We were almost there!

_POP, POP, POP, POP, POP!_

More bullets flew past us. The scare made Chris stumble a little, but she quickly got back up and kept up the pace. It was a fucking miracle that we ain't get hit. I felt some sweat hit my brow. Something told me that the next shots weren't gonna be a warning.

Finally! We made it to the intersection!

And we both saw something that we didn't expect.

"The kids!", I yelled.

They were all gathered up on one hallway. The guards must've rounded them up before they went looking for us. That's why we ain't see them when we left the closet.

I quickly glanced back only to see that the guards were just a few feet away. I ain't have time to think, so I just went with my gut..

..and ran straight into the sea of kids.

I knew that Scott only wanted us, so I don't think he guards would risk firing at the other kids. And that was good, because that meant that they were the perfect cover. So, slowing down just a little, we managed to maneuver our way through the crowd of kids. Some of them cried out and some even tried to follow. But I ain't give a fuck. As long as we was slowing the guards down. Despite my common sense, I glanced back one more time. I just had to see how far back they were…

And to my surprise, all the children slowed them down. Not a lot.. But just enough for us to try to find a place and hide. And they weren't shooting. Which was a good thing.

"Yeah!", I exclaimed in delight as we neared the end of the crowd.

"Riley.", I heard Chris call after being silent for a while.

"Yeah? You know a place to hide? Where is it?", I asked, anxious to finally escape those psychos.

"I can't run anymore.", I heard her mumble.

I almost forgot how beat up she was. All this running was obviously putting a strain on her. She was probably exhausted. "I know you tired, but we're almost there, hold on."

"Riley, I can't!", she exclaimed as she began to slow down.

"Chris, come on! It ain't that far, damn!", I yelled angrily as I started to run a little fast to make up for her slowing down.

"Riley, stop! PLEASE!", she screamed.

"SHIT, CHRIS!", I boomed as she fell hard on the ground. I ain't have time for this shit! I know she was tired, but we ain't have far to go. Why couldn't she just hold on! "What the fuck is wrong with you!? They're coming!"

I heard her cough as she lied there. She tried to get up, but she fell right back down. She wouldn't… no… she _couldn'_t look up at me.

And that's when I realized that she was holding her stomach.

I bent down near her. "Chris? Chris! What's wrong?", I asked, desperately trying to get her back up on her feet so we could keep moving.. But as soon as I touched her clothes, I realized that they were wet.

My eyes went wide in confusion as I brought my wet hand up to my face.

It was covered in blood.

I quickly looked back down at Chris.

..and flipped her over on her back..

And screamed.

She was holding a blood soaked had over her shirt, but it was no use. The blood just kept pouring out slowly from the hole in her stomach.

Chris had been shot.

"No, no no no no.. Chris.. CHRIS!", I yelled at the top of my lungs.

I looked back through the path of children and realized that there was a trail of blood leading back to us. When the guards fired the second time… when Chris stumbled… was that when…

"CHRIS! Please, no!", I yelled again. I felt my eyes getting wet, but I ain't care. I shut them quickly to get rid of the tears though, because I couldn't see. I… I couldn't breath. She just couldn't be shot.. No! She _HAD_ to make it! She just _had _to. She got so _far!_

"SHIT, MAN!", I continued to yell as I pressed my hands over her stomach, trying my best to stop the bleeding.. But it wasn't working. The blood just seeped through my fingers. But it had to stop! It _had_ to!

And just then… I felt a soft hand touch my arm. Breathing hard, I looked over at her face. Her eyes were half closed but she looked me right in my eyes and smiled… and it hurt me to my heart… because I knew exactly what she was about to say…

"Y-you promised, Riley.. Remember?"

"No.. NO! I can't! I can't do that shit!"

"R-Riley, please.. You promised me.."

I felt tears running down my face. ..Real tears. For the first time in my life..

"_FUCK_ that!", I yelled, shaking my head quickly.

She reached her hand up slowly, and to my surprise, she touched my face, wiping my tears away. No.. it just couldn't end like this. Not like _this_!

"W-we almost made it out, right?", she whispered with a soft chuckle.

"NO! FUCK THAT! We're _still _gonna get out! Just hold on! Wait a little longer… please!"

"I'll be okay..", she said with a smile, her voice getting smaller.

I continued to press my hands on her stomach. At this point, I couldn't tell if the bleeding stopped or not. Everything just looked red. Everything. Her clothes, my hands, the floor.. everything.

"B-but… you have to go.."

"SHUT UP!"

"You can s-still make it out.."

I pressed even harder. "And you goin' with me!"

There was a sudden silence, and at that moment, I thought I had lost her.

"CHRIS!"

She finally brought her eyes back up towards me slowly.

"…Riley.. I'm not going anywhere."

"Don't say that shit! Don't you say that shit!", I said, weeping.

It was then that I ripped once of the bandages off of her leg, and tried my best to wrap it around her torso in a desperate attempt to stop the bleeding… to save her. But deep down I knew that it was pointless.. And at this point.. It was too late.. I cried out when I realized that her breathing began to get slower and slower.

I put my head on her chest and sobbed.

"Please, Christina… Please don't go.."


	18. Chapter 18

**WHOOOO! Sorry about taking so long to update. These holidays have been KILLING ME. **

**Thank you to all the new reviewers!**

**...Even though most of them are 'guests'. **

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**Hmm... 2 chapters left? O_o**

* * *

"Quit it.. I'm.. I'm not dead yet.."

I brought my head up from her chest and looked at her in shock. "W-what?", I stammered, tears still streaming down my face.

I watched as she put a hand on her stomach and rubbed it along the bandage that I put there. She struggled to lift up her head to see it a little better, but I ain't think she had the strength because she laid it right back down on the floor. A small sigh escaped her lips and she shook her head a little.

"The.. the bullet… it went through..", she whispered. She then looked up at me with a smirk. "L-lucky me.."

Confused by what she meant, I shook my head quickly and pressed on her bandage more. "It went through? What… what you mean by that?", I asked, scared to death. Here she was, shot up and bleeding out on the floor.. And she's talking about how lucky she is. I gasped when she softly tapped her wound with her finger.

"It went through m-my back.. and out my stoma-", she paused to cough. I watched as torrents of blood flew out her mouth. Some got on my clothes, but I could care less.

"…My stomach..", she continued.

"Chris, you ain't making no sense!", I exclaimed like a mad man. By this time, I had gotten my tears and snot under control. I really thought I was gonna lose her… I _STILL_ thought I was. There was just so much blood… I.. I don't think anybody could've survived so much blood loss. Let alone an 8 year old girl. I shook my head and the thought and used my shirt to wipe off the access blood from her chin. But to my surprise, she reached up and pushed my hand away before I could finish.

"It m-means that I'll be okay..", she said; her voice shaky. "So, that means… you have to stop being a big baby and go.. n-now."

"But I… B-but you..", I stuttered frantically. "The bullet… it-"

"It's not inside me.. Th-that's a good thing..", she said, cutting me off. She then tried to reach up her head for a second time to try and see the damage. I guess she saw what she needed to see, because she tried to push me away. "You did… a good job wrapping it.. It'll last me.. ", she said, trying to push my body away for a second time. But I wouldn't budge.

"Go bring back help.. Hurry..", she said, clenching her eyes shut.

"Oh… I don't think he'll get that far.."

The sound of his voice sent chills down my spine. I looked up to see all guards standing ahead of us; their guns pointed and ready to shoot. And in the front of the crowd was Scott, who, to my surprise, was holding a small pistol of his own. My heart was beating so fast, I ain't know what to do. How long were they standing there? I knew they was coming, but I was too focused on Chris that I ain't even hear them walk up on us. Were they just standing there… waiting for Chris to die?

"So, Riley.. There's good news and bad news..", Scott said with a maniacal grin on his face. But I ain't want to hear _SHIT _he had to say. I wanted to _KILL_ this motherfucker for putting us through so much shit.. For getting Chris, his own niece, shot. And the look on his face showed that he ain't even give a fuck!

"FUCK YOU!", I bellowed angrilly, still holding on to Chris' wound. But he just laughed

"The good news is that Christina is right. The bullet _did_ go through, therefore rendering her wound easily treatable.", he smiled.

Even though I still stared at Scott with all the hate I could muster, I did have a small sigh of relief. Because that meant that somehow, Chris lucked out… and she was gonna be okay. I looked down at Chris with a small smile, only to see her staring up at me with sad eyes. I swallowed hard at the sight. What was wrong with her? She was gonna be okay.. She was gonna live! …Yet she as looking at me like it was the opposite..

But… why?

"The bad news is that I can't allow you to leave..", I heard Scott continue.

I looked up at him with anger. "I don't give a fuck _what _you_ '_allow'. We leavin' whether you _like_ that shit or not!", I yelled confidently. I silently kicked myself as soon as the words left my lips, though. Heh, I mean.. look at this shit. There were more than 10 guards right in front of me and all of them was packing. And here I was, still talking about getting out of this shit hole. I mean.. I still believed in my heart that I… _we_ .. was gonna get out. But our chances of doing that _TONIGHT_ was slim to none… And Scott knew it.

"You… you should've left.. You promised…", I heard Chris whisper softly to me. I glanced down at her with a sigh.. Maybe she was right.. Maybe I should've left… But.. could I even do it? Yeah, she was gonna be okay, but even if I knew that shit from the beginning.. Could I still have done it? I just… I just don't know..

"Now, before we do anything else...", he began, looking back at his guards with a smile. "I must know… Who was the one responsible for subduing the girl?"

The '_girl?' _

I narrowed my eyes at him. I couldn't believe this shit! This nigga said it like he was actually _proud_ that his own niece got shot. And I clenched up my fists, because I knew it was only a matter of time before some bitch nigga guard stepped up and-

"It was me, sir!"

..Told you.

I watched as a guard from the back of the crowd stepped through the pack and right up to Scott. He was grinning from ear to ear.

"I wasted no time subduing the girl for you, sir.", he said enthusiastically.

Hmmph. Just like a bitch ass nigga. Dick riding the shit out of the guy in charge.

"Jason, my boy!", Scott said smiling. He put a hand on his shoulder and patted it hard. "You're new, right?"

The guard looked like he was gonna shit himself. He nodded furiously and chuckled. "Y-yes sir!"

"Enjoying your stay?"

"Oh most definitely, sir. Each day working here is a pleasure!"

"Good… Good.", Scott replied, laughing. He then pointed to Chris' body and used his free hand to push Jason towards it. "Well? Go on and take her to the infirmary."

"Will do, sir!"

It was then that I clutched on to Chris' arm tightly. Because if this bitch ass motherfucker was gonna take her, he was gonna have to go through me. How do I know he wasn't gonna take her away and finish her off? Then it would be like I _gave_ her to him. It would've been all my fault …and I ain't think I could live with that shit.

I tensed up when the guard started to approach.

I clenched my teeth. "You better back the _FUCK_ up before I-"

"Shut it, kid!, he yelled, cutting me off. "Just leave your little girlfriend to me… _I'LL_ take care of her.."

The sick grin on his face made my blood boil. I clenched my fists. "You sick _FUCK!_"

He ignored me and began to lean down towards us. But just then, Scott spoke up again.

"Don't worry, Riley.", he said, smiling. "Jason knows _exactly_ what he's doing.."

Hearing his words pissed me off so bad, I was gonna risk it all and try my best to fuck this nigga up the best way I could. I was gonna make him hurt, just like he hurt Chris. He could shoot me if he wanted to. I ain't care. I'd be going out like a gangsta anyway.. So, making up my mind, I began to stand over Chris' body and fight to my last breath..

But before I could, I caught a glimpse of Scott lifting up his pistol..

Caught off guard, I began to back down, but to my surprise, he pointed it right at the guard..

..and shot the him in the back of the head.

* * *

"Fuck… _FUCK!"_

I couldn't stop the obscenities from escaping my lips.

I knew it! I knew those were gunshots! And I just heard another go off just now. According to my experience, it sounded like some kind of pistol.. But whatever it was, it distracted me, causing the wires to slip out of my bloody fingers.

"_SHIT!"_

I quickly picked them up, only for them to slip right back out of my hands.

"_DAMMIT!"_

During my work, the wires kept shocking my fingers, causing them to bleed. But I didn't care. I've experienced worse wounds than this. But it was, however, making the construction of the item last longer; causing the wires to keep slipping out of my hands..

My heart was pounding, my hands were shaking, and despite the cool night air, sweat ran down my face.

Maybe.. Just maybe.. I wasn't going to make it to Riley in time..

* * *

I let out a loud yell as some blood splattered on my face. I clenched my eyes shut to keep it from getting inside of them. I even felt Chris tense up a little. Obviously, she wasn't expecting the shot either. I opened my eye a little just in time to see the guard's body slump on the floor right in front of us; blood slowly oozing out of the hole his head.

I quickly looked up at Scott and clenched my teeth. "You crazy FUCK!", I choked out, spit flying out of my mouth.

I looked down at Chris , only to see her just staring in Scott's direction. Her face was so unmoving and calm that it sent chills down my spine She.. She didn't even look surprised! I swallowed hard when I heard a small sigh escape her lips. It was the type of sigh that sounded like she was tired. Tired of the bullshit.. It was like… like she saw people getting shot in the back of the head on a daily basis!

But.. Then again..

…maybe… maybe she did..

I looked back up at Scott.

Maybe he did shit like this all the time…

"NOW!"

Scott's voice broke me out of my trance. I watched as he turned his back on us to stare at the sea of guards, who, by the way, were unmoving. I guess that shot didn't phase them either..

Maybe he _did_ do this type of shit all the time..

"Now, let that be a lesson to _all_ of you...", he started, using his free hand to straighten the glasses on his face. "Jason was new, yes… But he still knew the rules… and he himself chose not to follow them.", he began to pace back and fourth, stepping over Jason's corpse in the process.

"Now…everyone?"

"SIR!", they all answered in unison.

"What's rule #1?"

"DON'T. HARM. THE GIRL.", they replied like robots.

My eyes went wide at their answer. I looked down at Chris to see if she was just as surprised as I was… But when I realized her facial expression hadn't changed from earlier, the answer was clear…

….She knew the "rules" from the beginning.

I watched as Scott turned to face us again. "I apologize for my employee's… behavior. This will never happen again. I promise you that."

The smile on his face made my blood boil. Was this nigga serious? I mean, REALLY. Was he _SERIOUS? _Why was this fucker apologizing like Chris ain't just get shot? He was saying sorry like niggas do when they step on your shoes or some shit. This motherfucker was SERIOUSLY fucked in the head if he thought I… _we_, was gonna take that shit apology lightly.

"Take that bullshit apology and shove it up your shitty ass!", I yelled at the top of my lungs. "These niggas, along with YOUR bitch ass has been beatin' all up on her since the fuckin' beginning! And your first rule is, 'Don't harm the girl'? What kind of fucked up shit is that?! Fuck you! Fuck ALL of you pussy ass niggas!"

After my rant, I took a deep breath and watched as Scott kneeled down on one knee ahead of us. I would've spit right in his fucking face if he still wasn't holding that pistol. I briefly looked past him and noticed that all the guards had the same pissed expression on their faces.

Heh, like I gave a fuck.

I looked back towards Scott, who was now down at my eye level. I clenched my teeth. Because at this point, I ain't know _what_ was gonna burst out my mouth… or his.

"I know how you must feel about this whole… situation..", he started; pushing up his glasses on his face.

"Shut up. I don't wanna hear _shit_ you have to say, man!", I replied, getting more angry by the second.

"Riley… you have to believe me when I say that I never wanted _any_ of this to happen.."

"…Fuck. You."

"Please.. You must understand that I had absolutely no intention of harming my niece..", He paused to look down at Chris. "…My.. _only _niece."

That's when I had to speak up once again.

"No.. NO INTENTION? Nigga! You was just beatin' up on her a minute ago! So the fuck is you talkin' about!?"

"I admit… I lost control.. And for that, I apologize.. She's my only niece, and it was unacceptable for me to-"

"OOOOH, YOU JUST… YOU JUST FUCKIN' CRAZY, MAN! The FUCK is goin' on in your HEAD? Don't make that shit seem like you actually CARE for her, when really you don't give two SHITS! If you love her as much as you say you do, you wouldn't let THOSE NIGGAS beat up on her every time she leaves her fuckin' room! And... and NOW she got shot. She could be dying right here in front of your FACE and you don't even give a FUCK!"

"RILEY! ENOUGH!", Scott finally yelled.

I knew that was gonna piss him off. But he needed to hear that shit, because obviously, this nigga was lost.

"You don't know what you THINK you know!", he exclaimed as he stood up from his original spot on the floor. He pointed his finger in my direction.

"I DO love Christina! I ALWAYS have! I NEVER wanted _anythin_g to happen to her! Which is why I _NEVER _allowed any of my workers to touch her. _EVER_.", he balled up his fist and shook it. "I NEVER would've done all that work planning for her come here if my only intention was to hurt her! And _that's_ the TRUTH!"

I had just about enough of all his bullshit. I lifted up my hand and flipped him the bird. "Fuck you, man.. Just FUCK YOU!"

"Wait… "

We both stopped dead in our tracks when the silent Chris finally spoke up. I honestly forgot she was there.. I was just so pissed the fuck off that I forgot what situation I was currently in..

I looked down at Chris and noticed she was looking dead at Scott. Her brow was raised and she gave him a confused look.. What did she have to say? What was going on..?

"What… what did… you say..?", she asked, her voice trembling.

"What? What do you man?", I asked, looking down at her with a confused expression. But to my surprise, she never took her eyes off of Scott.

When I followed her gaze, I was shocked at by what I saw..

He just… stood there with a blank expression on his face. It was like he was in deep thought all of a sudden. But why? What made him look that way?

"…Say?", he repeated, clearing his throat.

Why did he seem so nervous?

"You… you said… you said you.. 'planned' for me to come here…", she said through shortened breaths. I knew that she needed medical attention immediately..

"What… what did you mean by that?"

All eyes were on Scott now. Even though I ain't really know what was going on, I still wanted to know how he was gonna answer her question. I guess him saying that he 'planned' for her to come here was kind of weird… but it ain't hit me as some type of red flag or anything..

…But apparently.. Chris thought differently.

"What did you mean by that? …All the work… and the planning..?", she pressed on.

Scott chuckled and shook his head. "Oh, Christina, you're showing signs of delirium. Focusing on parts of the sentence that aren't eve relevant. We need to get you some medical help ASAP.. Now come on.. Let me help you..", he said as he inched over towards us. I was about to tell him to fuck off, but turns out I didn't have to..

"No… No! Don't.. Don't touch me..!", She managed to choke out. She slowly shook her head and sighed. "You… you acted nervous.. just now.. Why?"

"Christina, you're not acting like yourself, please you need to-"

"Scott.. If… if you don't tell me what I want… to know, I-I swear.. I-I'll _rip_ these bandages off and… intentionally bleed to death… right here on the floor."

My spit caught in my throat, and I looked down at her in shock. My heart began to beat at a fast pace when I saw the look on her face. It was…. She was _serious_. She didn't blink… she didn't move… She just layed there, staring right into Scott's eyes. It was like she was… _daring_ him to deny her..

Was she..

Was she really gonna do it?

I swallowed some more spit and brought my face down towards her. "Chris.. You… you serious?", I asked in a hushed whisper… hoping that this was just another tactic just to distract Scott somehow..

But she didn't answer me. She didn't look at me. She never even acknowledged my existence. She just layed there… staring Scott down.

And Scott just stood there… frozen. I guess he was trying to find any sign of doubt on her face, but I guess he couldn't, because he was silent.

As a matter of fact… the whole hallway was silent. By this time, all the kids had either found their way into their rooms, or were just wandering aimlessly around the huge building. The guards were quiet too, and looked just as shocked as Scott. Even the continuous alarm seemed like a small annoyance. But despite all that, I still wanted to know how all this was gonna play out.. Still wanted to see who was gonna speak up first..

And after a few more seconds, Scott finally did..

"Christina…", he began, holding out a hand towards us.

But I ain't know why. None of us was gonna take it.

His bottom lip began to tremble and he brought his arm back slowly. "Why.. Why would you even consider… killing yourself just to.. Just to-"

"Idiot! You _know_ I have nothing to lose."

Shocked by her response, I quickly looked down at her and raised a brow. I listened hard as she continued.

"Nothing… I have.. I have _nothing_… I… I don't have any family… No f-friends… I don't… I don't have _anything_ to live for.. So… so _why_ do I need to be alive? There's… there's no point. Not anymore.. I just-"

"Christina, no.. Don't say that.. You.. You have me, remember? Your old Uncle Scott.. U-Uncle Scotty.. Remember? Remember when you used to call me that? Uncle Scotty?", Scott practically pleaded with her… But she wouldn't listen.. She just ignored him and turned her head to look at me..

I held my breath… I ain't know what to say… I mean… did she really want to… to kill herself? I knew she had some serious mental problems.. But I ain't know she was suicidal too.. Was that just another secret she kept from me until the time was right?

"Riley…", she said with a small smile.

I looked her right in her eyes in silence. And what she said next made my heart skip a beat.

"Take.. Take off the bandages.. Let me go.."

"WHAT!?", Scott and I exclaimed in unison.

I shook my head back and forth. As if I were trying to shake her words away. But it didn't work. "Chris..", I said desperately. "Come on.. Y-you know you don't mean-"

"Please… I can't do it anymore.. I can't.. I can't keep living like this..", she gave me the saddest look she could possibly muster. Tears started to well up in her eyes..

..and I looked away.

Because if looked at her..

I knew I'd lose it..

"Riley, please… Let me go.."

"NO! You can't just fuckin' give up like this! After all the shit we been through? You're stronger than that! I know, 'cause I've seen it! Don't puss out on me..", I exclaimed.

Why the fuck was she doing this?! All because Scott wasn't telling her what she wanted to know? Really?

"Riley.. I've been here for three years.. three _long_ years.. And… And I've been strong that whole time.. But… I can't do it anymore.."

"Stop it.. Just shut the fuck up! You gonna puss out on me? You gonna go out like a bitch?!", I think I was losing it..

"I'm so _tired_ Riley…"

I looked in her eyes as soon as the words left her lips. Her eyes looked so.. exasperated… exhausted even.. And they had every right to be. She's been here for three years.. Going through all this shit by herself. I just ain't know how she did it. I know even if she _did_ get out somehow, she probably wouldn't have nowhere to go.. But… that wasn't a good reason to fucking kill herself! I knew it was hard to deal with, but I couldn't just let her off herself like that.. It was wrong.. So _fucking_ wrong!

I folded my arms across my chest. "I don't give a fuck how tired you are! I ain't doing it."

"If you won't.. I will."

And before I could react, I realized that she was already fiddling with the bandage around her torso, causing some more blood to escape from out of her body. I panicked and tried my best to stop her from doing this to herself, but before I could help, a loud sound interrupted me.

…and I felt something I ain't never feel before.

"Ah…. Oh shit…"

I mumbled as I flew back on my butt. I held my arm as soon as I felt the pain. When I looked over to see what the hell was going on, I realized that my upper arm was bleeding..

Did he…

Did he just..?

This.. This nigga just _shot_ me!

I heard Chris scream as she looked over in my direction.

I clenched my eyes shut tightly as I continued to hold my arm. The shit felt like it was on _fire_! Blood ran down my arm so fast, there was already a small puddle forming on the floor.

"SHIT!", I exclaimed as I removed my hand off the wound to see what the damage was..

I was lucky..

It only grazed me.

But it _was_ kind of deep, so I probably needed stitches.

I looked up at Scott in anger. And the pain was making my rage worse. "What the FUCK did you do that for, motherfucker?! I was trying to _HELP_ her!"

But he didn't look at me.. His focus was trained on Chris, who was trembling in anger. The look on his face was one I ain't never seen before. He was straight faced, but I still saw a hint of anger and nervousness. And for a split second, he reminded me of most of the kids in the asylum..

I couldn't believe it…

What was wrong with him?

"I'm sorry Christina. But I can't allow you do that.."

His voice was calm. Yet stern. Kind of authoritative. And his facial expression didn't change.

I watched as Christina began to breath heavily. Probably in shock about him shooting me.. But she ain't seem like she was in any danger or distress. "Why… Why can't I? What does me dying.. have a-anything to do with you? You don't _need_ me!"

"You don't have any say in the matter, Christina. I didn't do all that work to get you here just so you could end your own life.."

She scowled. "So you shoot Riley just to keep me from doing it?!"

"If that's what it takes…"

I tensed up when I heard his words. I ain't like the sound of that shit..

"But why! Why can't you just… let me _go_!", she urged.

"Because I can't.. I won't let you.."

"WHY!"

"Because _EVERYTHING_ would be UNDONE. The research, the murder, the asylum. _EVERYTHING_!"

I watched as Chris' eyes went side. And I had the same expression.. Because I knew exactly what she was gonna say next..

"Murder? ….What murder?"

I watched as Scott used the pistol to scratch his head violently. He kept shaking his head and an exasperated sigh escaped his lips. He suddenly looked stressed. Nervous. He then began to pace back and forth with his free hand clenched. He began to mumble…

"All my _plans_… all my r_esearch_… undone… All of it! My _brother_… my own _BROTHER_…"

I was as confused as ever. What the fuck was he going on about? It just ain't make sense.

"Wait... Your brother… m-my dad… What… what about him?", Chris inquired. She held the same confused look I had held this whole time. Scott's whole demenor seemed to change in one split second and.. It was obvious that we wanted to know why..

"All my plans… all the secret _lies_..", Scott continued. He rubbed his head as if he had a severe headache.

"Lies?", Chris continued to repeat his words. "What lies?"

"It was supposed to be so easy… An easy job… An experiment, even… The plan was so _perfect.._"

"Scott! What about my dad? What… what lies! What plan?!"

It was finally time for me to speak up. "Nigga, what the fuck is you talking about! You ain't makin' no type of sense!"

"Such a _flawless_ plan…"

"SCOTT! Is you even LISTENIN'?!"

"…And you, Christina… were the key.. You were always the key.."

I watched in horror as Scott fell to his knees right in front of Chris and sighed. I ain't know what he was gonna do to her, so I prepared to strike before he did. Shot up arm and all. But.. He did something I wasn't expecting..

He took off his glasses, threw them to the side, and looked down at Chris with a smile.

I held my breath, anticipating his next move..

"You, my dear… were the key.. If it weren't for you, none of this would have been possible.."

I saw Chris shake her head violently. She clenched her teeth tightly and balled up her fists. She was obviously in some type of confused rage.. And I was too.. I mean.. this nigga was talking in riddles and shit. And ain't nobody got time for that! I just wished this nigga would get to the fucking point!

"What… What the _hell_ are you talking about?", Chris said with a snarl.

"I guess… it _is_ about time you knew the truth.."

Her eyes went wide. And so did mine.

"Truth?", she repeated. What are you-"

"What do you remember, Christina? What do you remember from that night? The night you killed your parents… my brother…?"

Chris was silent for a long time. obviously caught off guard by his question. And so was I. I mean.. what did that shit have to do with the situation we was in now? None of this was making any sense! Her eyes were completely wide. As wide as they could go. I noticed that she was gripping her bandage for dear life. I ain't know whether she was just doing it out of shock… or if she was gonna rip it off at any second. I hoped that she could hold on long enough to figure out what the fuck Scott was talking about..

And I sighed in relief when Chris finally found her voice..

She looked away in shame. "I know… I know I t-took your brother f-from you, but-"

"Did you?", he asked, cutting her off.

She looked back at me, then back at Scott. "I… I don't.."

"Yes, you remember murdering your own mother and father that night..", he stated with a smile. "But how do you know those were _your_ memories?"

"Scott.. Stop trying to… to confuse me.. Just let me die.. please…"

But Scott wasn't listening.

"Do you actually remember the sound of your mother's screams..? The feeling of the knife entering your father's neck?"

"Shut up…", she mumbled, shaking her head.

"The sound of the blade _slicing _through your mother's ribcage.."

"SHUT UP!"

I gave him a death glare. "Shut the FUCK UP, MAN!"

But he wasn't listening.

"The warm caress of their blood splattering over your face and hands..? The very _second_ their life escaped from their eyes?!"

"NO… NO! JUST… JUST SHUT UP!"

"Tell me you remember that, Christina. Oh, please tell me you remember it! Please!"

"I DON'T… JUST STOP IT! I WANNA DIE! I JUST WANNA DIE!"

I crawled back over to Chris and held on to her arm. Tears streamed down her face and she was thrashing back and forth. And I knew that if she kept doing that, the bandage was sure to slip off. I looked up at Scott in blind anger. He was just _torturing_ her! And he knew it! The smile on his face showed that he was actually _enjoying _it! I clenched up my fist. If he didn't shut the _fuck _up, I was gonna _make_ him shut the _fuck_ up!

"You don't remember it, sweetheart…"

"PLEASE… SHUT UP!"

"But I do."

Chris looked up at him in horror… and so did I. What did he mean? Was he…. Was he there when Chris killed her parents..? .Did he… did he somehow make her kill them? He was a doctor after all. So that meant he could probably manipulate someone to do anything. I mean… he _did_ have all these niggas ready to do whatever order he thought of.. So.. was it just easier to manipulate a five year old into commiting murder?

I shook my head at the thought..

No.. it just didn't make any sense. And the fact that Chris ain't remember him _making_ her do it really added on to the confusion.

How was Scott tied into all of this?

"You… Were you… there?", she asked in a small voice, her eyes still wide.

He gave her a weird grin. "Of course I was, my dear. As you may recall, I visited your home a few hours earlier. Remember?"

I heard a gasp escape her mouth. "I don't… I…"

"You have to remember.. Your father and I were discussing plans about this asylum… How to improve it.."

I looked down at her and saw that she was staring ahead with a blank expression. She was obviously in deep thought… trying to remember if his words were actually true or not.

But, if you ask me, I'd say that all of it was bullshit. I mean, this fucker had been fucking with us the whole time… Why would he pick now to finally tell us the truth?

"You even gave us an idea or two, Christina… about the food?"

"The food…", she repeated as if she were in a daze.

I shook my head and sighed. I was tired of the bullshit. And I knew that Chris was tired of being lied to. "Ay, don't listen to him. He's just trying to screw with your head and-"

"Pizza…"

I raised a brow when she cut me off.

I watched as she looked over at Scott; her bottom lip trembling. "Pizza… I… I wanted you to serve pizza.."

Scott clasped his hands together. "Yes, yes!"

I raised a brow and looked back down at her.

"And…and you laughed and said… 'Pizza…. isn't-"

"…exactly healthy."

I heard her gasp. She looked up at me and smiled. "I… I remember! I… I can't believe I… Wait.."

"Yes, Christina? Go on, please.."

"You… you left right after… I went to bed.. You got me a glass of water and.. sent me to my room because… because they started to argue…"

"YES! Go on! Keep remembering!"

"But… if you left… How… how did you see me…", her voice trailed off and her eyes went wide with fright. "You… you _never _left!"

I looked up at Scott and narrowed my eyes. "You mean you aint never leave that night? So you saw the whole fuckin' thing?!"

Scott was silent.

But Chris wasn't.

"Why… _WHY_ didn't you _stop_ me? _Why_!", she asked, her voice nearly above a whisper.

"Why…the answer to that is simple..", he began with a chuckle as he reached over and obtained his glasses off of the floor. He placed them crookedly on his face and smiled down at her.

"I didn't stop you… because you were asleep in your room."

Then… it was silent again.

The only sound you could hear was the alarm, and Chris' shallow breathing. Both of us were shocked, because we ain't say nothing. We just looked over at Scott with the most confused expressions anyone could ever give anybody. She was asleep? In her room? How… how was that even possible? Maybe Scott had finally lost his fucking mind just now because none of the shit he was saying was making any type of sense at all. If she was in her room… how did she have time to kill her parents? Shit just wasn't adding up. And I ain't like it.

I would've pondered the situation more, but I knew it was only gonna be a matter of time before Scott explained…

"Ah, you two look confused…. Let me explain…"

Thank God..

He looked down at Chris. "Remember… that water I gave you, Christina?"

She didn't reply. She just stared up at him and waited for him to continue. So did I.

"Well… that particular glass of water had some… _very_ strong medicine in it.. Medicine that had some… interesting side effects. My own creation…"

I sighed… He ain't have to say anything else. Because I finally knew what the deal was now.. The meds… they caused her to go crazy… they made her… made her.. Shit! I looked over towards the side in anger. Normally, medicine that makes you kill people would sound like some scifi movie shit, but after all the crap I've seen tonight, I was willing to believe that these niggas could create _anything_. They already had pills that make you shake and make your eyes dart back and forth. So, it wasn't that hard to believe that they could create something that could make you kill… It was probably something like LCD… shit tht could make you go crazy and do shit that you wouldn't normally do…

Damn.. Why would he give his own niece something like that?

I looked down at Chris to see what she thought about all of this.. But she was just staring at Scott, waiting for him to continue his fucked up confession.

"I did a great job creating it, if I do say so myself. Hours and hours of research.. It made my plan play out _flawlessly_… Made my brother finally have to step out of the spotlight… so I could finally step in.."

"So you made her take that shit so she could kill her parents.. _JUST _because you was being a jealous little bitch!?", I asked, dumbfounded. I knew jealously could make a nigga do a lot of things… but _this_ was taking the shit too far..

"Oh, Riley… your… 'charm' is beginning to wear off."

I rolled my eyes in response. But I suddenly thought of something else. Something that still wasn't adding up in this fucked up story..

"Wait… didn't you say she was sleep?", I asked, confused.

He shrugged. "Well, she was.. Like I said.. The medicine worked flawlessly."

It was now Chris' turn to speak up.

"What… What kind of medicine was it…?"

"Why, it was a sedative, of course!"

"What? That… that doesn't make any sense..", she mumbled, confused.

I looked down at her. "A sedative? Isn't that the shit that knocks you out?"

She nodded in reply.

"How… How can a sedative… make me _kill _them.. How? What… what did you _do _to it?"

Scott chuckled. "I never said it made you kill them."

I groaned in anger. I wish this nigga would stop running around in circles and get to the fucking point1 I was tired of trying to figure out his stupid ass riddles. If he was gonna say something, why didn't the fucker just say it!? He was _really_ pissing me off more than I already was.

Scott then stood up and turned his back on us yet again. Facing the guards, he held his wrist behind his back; the pistol still in his hand. He cleared his throat. "Oh, the medicine was just there to make you sleep… Make you oblivious to the _finale_ of my plan…"

"Finale..?", she urged. "What finale..?"

"Five year old kills her parents and ends up in her own father's insane asylum… Uncle saves the day…",he stated, looking up in the air as if he were reminiscing. He looked back down at us and grinned. "Sounds wonderful, doesn't it? I sure thought it did… I must've thought of that same sentence over and over again in my head before, and while, I did what I had to do…"

"Scott…", Chris whispered.

"It was so easy… putting you to sleep…"

"Scott.."

"Sneaking in your parents room after they had yet another pointless argument.."

"S-Scott… I… I don't.."

"Grabbing that beautiful blade of mine…"

"S-Scott… what are you-"

"…and ending their _meager _existence for good."

"I….I…I….", she stammered, trembling. And so was I. Did… did he say what I thought he just said?

"So easy…. To just… pick up your little sleeping body… and place you right in the middle of them…"

No… I couldn't believe it..

"So easy… to smear your white gown with blood…"

No… No… He can't be serious.. He can't be..

"…So easy…. So easy to place the knife right next to you…"

I don't… I don't fucking believe it…

"…and sneak right out the door… go home… and wait for the phone call from the police.."

"YOU…. YOU…. YOU…! YOU K-K-KILLED M-MY-"

"A beautiful, _beautiful_ plan indeed. Everything played out so perfectly.", he said, cutting her off. "Christina… you were the key… you were the key all along.."

"But she remembered her doing it! How the FUCK do you explain _that!_?", I bellowed.

"I have to say... I _knew_ that one of the side effects of the sedative were hallucinations... But the fact that she dreamt about_ he_r actually doing the deed was, well... what some people would call... 'dumb luck'.

I just…

I just lost it.

I jumped up so quickly, Scott ain't even see it coming. I rushed towards him, and punched his so hard in the stomach, all the air seemed to rush out of his body right then and there. As my fist went deeper and deeper in his gut, I heard the sound of my fingers beginning to crack one at a time.. But I ignored the pain. I ignored the guards beginning to rush towards my direction. And no matter how hard it was, I ignored Chris' shrill cries of sorrow. Because at this point, I was in such a state of shock and fury that I couldn't control myself anymore. I was holding back those whole _fucking_ time, but now, it was finally time to act. To _kill_ if necessary or applicable.

I felt strong hands grab my shoulders and try to pull me back, but I wouldn't let them. My body was on auto pilot. And I seemed to gain some type of super strength, because the guards were struggling to hold me back. But I had to hurt him more… I had to hurt him like he hurt _her_ for all these years.. The sick _FUCK! _I wanted to _kill_ him… I wanted to kill him so _fucking_ bad! Throughout my struggle, I continued to hear Chris' cries of pain..

"YOU… IT.. IT WAS YOU! YOU KILLED M-MY… DADDY…MY-MY MOMMY!", she was nearly hysterical now. And even though my back was facing her, I knew she was crying rivers of tears. And she had every right to do it.

He… he lied to her all these years… Kept her locked away in this fucked up place for a crime she ain't even commit! There was a special spot in hell for this motherfucker. But hell would have to wait. Because I wanted _MY_ chance to fuck him up _first. _

By this time, most of the guards finally managed to push me to my knees and keep me secured while Scott was busy catching his breath. I hope it hurt. I hope I ruptured something in his fucking body. I hoped he was _bleeding_ on the inside. He fucking deserved it.

"You…. You took my _LIFE_ away! My… My _PARENTS! EVERYTHING _I ever cared about! I don't have _ANYBODY because of you!", _she choked out through her tears.

I managed to look back at her, only to realize that she was trying to sit up. But I knew that if she did that, her wound was going to bleed more and more. I gasped when she jerked her upper body up, only to fall right back on the floor. Hard. She cried out in pain.

I don't know how I did it, but I managed to yank away from the guard's grip. They made an attempt to grab for me, but I was already by her side.

"Stop! Don't move Lay back down!", I exclaimed, trying to keep the bandage in place.

"No.. No.. NO!", she said, struggling to push me off. But I held on her stomach tightly. "Stop it! Let me go!"

"Chris! STOP, or you'll bleed out!"

But she wouldn't listen.. She just kept struggling to get way from me. I just couldn't get her to stop. She was in so much rage that nothing I could say could make her listen.. And just at that moment.. I knew that I had to do something drastic..

So without even thinking about it, I wrapped my arms around her body and held her close to me in a tight embrace. I rested my head softly on her shoulder and closed my eyes and held her there. She was breathing hard, but surprisingly, she didn't move. She just jerked a little because of how much she was crying... My cheeks got hot as I held her tighter…and the blood from her wound began to stain my clothes more than they already were... but I ain't care.. I just had to keep her from hurting herself… and it seemed to be working..

And before I knew it, I started to speak..

"Chris… you... you got me..", I whispered so low, only she could hear.

_…Where did those words come from?_

She just layed there in my arms… unmoving. "W-what..?", she whispered.

I held her tighter..

"You said… you said you ain't have anybody… But... you got me…", I brought my face back from her shoulder and looked her right in her eyes. I noticed that tears were still streaming down her cheeks. I pulled her closer and continued. "I… I care about you… And… if.. if you die on me.. Imma… Imma go up to heaven… and slap the shit out of you."

She looked me right in the eyes and smiled a little… which caused more tears to fall down her face. I chuckled a little when I thought about what I just said.. I don't even know where all that came from… It was like someone else was talking for me.. And… It was corny as hell… but I think I got my point across…

"R-Riley.. I…I…"

"Yeah?", I said with a smile.

"Riley…. ", she said; her voice trailing off. Something had caught her attention, because she quickly looked over to the side. My heart sank when her eyes went wide with fright.

I finally followed her gaze…. and to my horror, I realized that Scott had finally regained his composure.

..and had his pistol pointed right at me.

Right at my head.

She looked back at me frantically. "RILEY! GET DOWN!"

But her warning was too late.

The sound was so loud, It made my ears ring.

And then I saw nothing but darkness.


	19. Chapter 19

**Sorry guys… I couldn't for the life of me figure out how I was gonna write the last few chapters. So, as a result, this chapter will be a tad short.**

**And I lied. NOW there's two chapters left..**

**..I think.**

**XD**

**Oh, and for future reference… To all you 'guests." When you review a story… Can you actually.. "review" it, other than just saying, "UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE!" Tell me how you like the story. Tell me if you have a favorite part.. Tell me your views on the characters and how you reacted to them when you read a certain dialog. That makes the author feel accomplished and happy with their work. I understand you love the story and want me to update as soon as possible… But when all you can say is "UPDATE IN THE NEST FEW DAYS.", it makes the author feel rushed and makes them not wanna update at all.**

**Not saying that's the case with me, but It's just for future reference.**

* * *

Darkness..

Just complete and utter _blackness.._

I couldn't feel anything… I couldn't move…

And right at that moment, I knew I was dead.

Well… getting shot in the head wasn't that bad, I realized. The only annoying thing, was still being able to hear the high pitched ringing sound of the bullet… even _after_ you died.. I mean… the shit ain't even hurt. I ain't feel no type of pain at all. The most it did was shock the hell out of me.. Took me by surprise. Because I _do_ remember hitting the ground. Which was a good thing, I guess.. It would've fucking _sucked_ to feel that type of pain… suffer... and _then_ die! Heh… I guess I was lucky…

Wow….

…_Lucky._

That was one hell of a word to throw around right now.. Here I am, calling myself lucky, and I'm laying here dead as a doorknob on the floor.

_I still heard the ringing…_

And out of all this… Out of everything that's happened since I got here..

There was only two things that disappointed me.

Just two..

The first was not being able to kill Scott first.. Man… I wanted _nothing _more than to watch this nigga die right in front of my eyes. Heh.. I guess _he_ was doing that to me right at this very second. Staring at my body with that sick grin on his face. …Good thing I couldn't see him… because then, I'd be one pissed off corpse. Not being able to do anything about it, that is..

The second thing that disappointed me…. That… that _hurt_ me… was letting Chris down. I'd ball my fists up if I could. I mean… We been through so much shit together… so…much…_SHIT. _And I couldn't even stay alive to help her finally escape after all these years.

My eyes would've went wide if they could..

Because at that moment, I would've thought of something..

…What was Scott going to do to her now?

He most likely wouldn't kill her… which was good, I guess.. I knew deep down in my stopped heart that he'd probably give her the medical attention she really needed… Heh, and all that, just to keep his dirty little secret.

_That… ringing…_

I'd sigh right now if I could..

He'd probably lock her up in a room somewhere… Under heavy lock and key…. The doors would most likely be guarded by those dick riding guards..

She'd be alone.

Probably for the rest of her life.

_Shit… SHIT._

I just couldn't picture her up in some small ass room, crying her eyes out by herself.

_Would_ she cry?

I mean.. Chris was strong. She'd been strong for all these years… But could all this shit that happened, including my death, be the breaking point for her? Would she realize that even _with_ someone's help, there was absolutely no way of escaping? Would she….

…would she finally give up?

I'd shake my head right now…

She blamed herself for my death, I know..

_I still heard it. …The ringing.._

None of this would've happened if she never talked to me that day in the cafeteria, right? If she never befriended me… if she never told me all that classified info about this asylum… If she would've just left me alone that day, I'd still be alive right now..

…and if she thought that, which I _knew_ she would…

…she'd be a fucking dummy.

Because… because.. Surprisingly.. I ain't blame her.. I ain't blame her one bit. And being the person that I am… it really shocked me to admit that to myself.. I mean… had it been a few weeks ago, and had I not known her very well, I'd probably blame her ass so fast that it would've made her head spin! Blame her for all the shit I've been through.. Blame her for getting me shot…. _Twice._

I then thought back to that night I the bathroom. That night when she told m the whole story…

..that night when she told me what she did..

Well… what she _thought_ she did, anyway…

What would've happened if I had just left? If I just disregarded her saying that she needed my help? What if I had decided right then and there that I wasn't gonna team up with some murdering psychopathic bitch and that I was gonna find a way out of my own… By myself..?

What if I had just left her right then and there.. and not say another word to her ever again..?

Would we still be in the situation that we're in now?

Heh… something tells me that she wouldn't have gave up on me.

Chris was like that… caring for other people more than she did herself.

"_If anything happens to me… I-I want you to promise me that you'll keep going…"_

I remembered her exact words before we left…

I ain't wanna promise her no shit like that.. But what choice did I have? If I would've said no… she probably wouldn't have left with me… she probably would've sat right there on the bed and waited until I gave in..

Heh… stubborn ass..

I promised her, though… Even though I ain't want to…

And to my surprise…she smiled.

She was… _happy._

Happy that I promised to leave her behind when shit got rough.

I wonder what would've happened if I had left her behind after she had gotten shot..

Would I be free? Could I have found a way to make it out on my own?

Without my wrapping her wounds… would..

…would Chris be dead?

So many scenarios… So many fucking scenarios crowded my afterlife thoughts.. Thoughts that ain't matter now, I guess…

What's done is done.

And no one could do nothing about it.

But even after all that… after all this bullshit we went through… after all the cuts, bruises, gunshot wounds and tears… I knew deep down in my still heart that..

It wasn't her fault..

It really wasn't.

I mean… I blamed that fucker Scott for mostly everything that happened to me… to _us. _If it weren't for him, none of this would've happened. Chris wouldn't be so wounded and dying… I wouldn't have been dead… and we both probably could've been out by now. He made it seem like he really cared for her… But I knew he didn't.

His relationship with Chris was a lot of things…

..but I knew it wasn't love.

Scott was the problem all along..

_Riiiiiiiing.._

Chris? Well… she was only trying to help…

_Riiiiiing…_

She was _always_ trying to help..

_Riiiiiing…._

She was..

_Riiiiiing…_

She..

_Riiiiiing…_

FUCK!

What the fuck was up with that _FUCKING _ringing! It was giving me a fucking headache! Can't even get my goddamn thoughts straight! I blinked twice to try to get it out of my head… But to no avail..

Wait..

Did I…

Did I just…

I blinked again… and again… and AGAIN!

I couldn't believe it.. I couldn't _fucking_ believe it…

Was I..

Was I actually…

No… _couldn't_ be..

I mean.. I couldn't see anything, anyway. All I could make out was that faint gray color that surrounded me..

Hold up…

Wasn't everything _black_ just a few seconds ago?

Before I could think about it more, I realized that my arm started to twitch… then the other… I wasn't in any pain.. I just felt… weird… all over. It was that type of feeling you got after you got off a really fast roller coaster. That… wobbly feeling…

What was… what was going on..?

"Ril…"

Huh?

"..ley…"

What was that…?

_Who_ was that?

I blinked over and over again, only for the gray to fade into a lighter gray… then a lighter gray… Where was I..? What the hell was happening…?

"Riley…."

…and who was calling me?

The voice sounded familiar… Sounded like…. like..

"Riley… w-wake up…"

I was sure of it now..

"What..What…. C-Chris…"

The words barely escaped my mouth. At this point, I realized I could move my head a little.. So, I tried to move it around the best way I could. The gray was still there, but it faded just enough for me to realize that I was still in the hallway.. But what was all this… gray fog around me…?

It was at this moment when I heard…

…coughing?

Was… was that _me?_

It _was_ me.

I mean… now that I think about it… I did feel a little tickle in my throat..

I coughed once… twice…

And I finally realized why..

The grey fog…

..it was smoke.

"What…? Chris.. Where… Where are..?"

I just couldn't get my words together.. I was too woozy. But I did manage to make out nearly everything around me.

I looked over to my right to see what I think was Scott's guards… they were all sprawled out on the floor. They weren't moving… But I don't think they were dead… Just… just knocked the fuck out.

Scott was nowhere to be found…

But what caused all this?

Where did all this smoke come from?

What happened?

I was thinking about all these questions so much, I ain't realize that my whole body was…. slumped over something…

…over _someone._

"C-Chris!", I exclaimed as best as I could. I then released my weight from over her body and looked down upon her.

She looked dazed and confused… She kept blinking over and over again and shaking her head back and forth just like I was… but she seemed to be okay.

"Riley.. what.. what just happened…? I… I…. Are you o-okay?"

I squinted my eyes. I had a huge headache. And it was at that point I remembered what happened. I… I got shot… but.. Somehow… I was still alive.. Could Scott's aim really be _that_ bad? Did the bullet just… graze the back of my head? Was that even possible?

If that was the case… I was one gangsta ass nigga…

"Yeah.. I…I'm good…"

"I think.. something… something e-exploded…"

My eyes went wide.

Exploded?

Was…

…was _that_ the sound I heard before everything went black?

So did that mean…

…I ain't actually get shot?

But…. But if that was the case… What caused the explosion?

I looked down at Chris, trying to get as many answers from her as I could. Maybe she knew what caused it. Was it some sort of machine behind the walls? Like an air conditioner? Was it a pipe or something? So many scenarios popped into my head at that moment… and I was about to get ready to ask her every single one…. But I stopped short when I realized something… Something that I ain't notice when I first woke up..

I was… I was still holding on to her..

So that meant...

…that somehow…

I shielded her with my body before I blacked out…

But… But I don't even remember doing it…

I looked down at her with a raised brow..

"What…. What's wrong… Y-you okay?", she asked, worry in her eyes.

If… If my body wasn't over her when the blast happened…

…would she..

Would she still even be alive?

If it was strong enough to knock out all the guards, and even have _me_ woozy and temporarily blind…

...what could it have done to someone in _her_ state?

I shook my head at the thought… I ain't even wanna think about that shit.

"Riley.."

I shook my head. "Nothing… I'm cool…"

"N-no.. s-someone's coming… S-Scott..!"

I gasped at her words and looked around in every direction. But it was hard to see anything clearly with all the smoke surrounding us. From what I could see.. there was no sign of Scott. So… what was she talking about? Did she see something I didn't?

"Chris, where is he?", I asked in a hushed whisper. If he was around, I didn't want us to reveal our location. The smoke hid us… but it wouldn't for long. Maybe we even had a chance to escape; the smoke being our cover..

"Shh…", she whispered in reply. "Listen…"

So I did.

I listened hard.

I ain't hear nothing at first…

But after a few more seconds of silence, I finally heard what had scared her.

Footsteps.

Soft footsteps…

..and they were headed right for us.

This was it. It was now or never. I knew that if I ain't move my ass and catch that nigga off guard, he was gonna find us, kill me, and lock Chris up forever. Thinking I was dead earlier was enough of a wake up call for me. It made me think of all the shit that would happen to her if something happened to me. And I wasn't having any of that shit. So, I had to move. I had to sneak up on this nigga while I was hidden.. Punch him in the nuts, and fuck his ass up.

Pause.

It was now or never, so I began to rise off of the floor…

"Don't you move…"

I stopped dead in my tracks when I hard the voice. It was a bit muffled, but I had heard him clearly.

So I did what he said. Not because I was backing down…

But because I realized that he saw me. And I could've been walking right into his aim of fire again.

I regained my position right next to Chris..

I needed to be there..

…to protect her.

I covered my body over hers again.

If this asshole was gonna get to her, he had to go through me. I knew his aim was shit, so that gave me a little bit of a chance to try to defend ourselves. I held her a little tighter just in case he was gonna try to yank me off of her body in an attempt to tell me to leave her there and save myself. I knew that she was fed up with living like this…. And I knew she wanted me to get out more than anything.. But I couldn't just leave her.. Not like this.. I shook my head nd squeezed her a little tighter, anticipating the moment when she pushed me away..

..But to my surprise…

I felt her small arms wrap around my body.

I squeezed my eyes shut when it felt her arms tighten around me.

I wouldn't let go.

Nothing in the world could make me let go.

"Riley…"

"Fuck off! You ain't _touchin'_ her!", I bellowed in his direction.

But he wouldn't let up.

"Riley! Get up!"

"Did you hear what the fuck I just said?! _Back …._the fuck… _OFF_!"

"RILEY!"

It was then that I got really pissed. I quickly yanked my head in his direction and was gonna rip him a new asshole…

But something stopped me..

I squinted my eyes through the smoke only to be met with brown eyes.

Eyes that looked exactly like mine..

Then I noticed something else..

Something… brown…

Something…. something _huge_…

It was hair..

_BIG hair._

_It couldn't be…_

"_HUEY!?"_


	20. Chapter 20

**WHOOO LONG ASS chapter for you guys.**

**I just keep lying to you. NOW there's DEFINITELY two more chapters left. I promise. xD**

**Thank you to all you guys who have stuck with me throughout this crazy ride. I've really appreaicted your reviews..**

**Please enjoy!**

* * *

The strong blast made my small frame fly back on the cold ground with force. But I ignored the pain in my bottom and rose up quickly to see the damage. There was a lot of thick smoke, but I could tell the job was done flawlessly. Although the black sheet of smoke was surrounding it, I could still tell that it made a sizeable hole in the asylum's walls. Although I was proud of my work, and although it _DID_ get the job done, I still didn't count on the blast being so strong. Even with me standing a safe distance away, the blast still caught up to me.

Hmm.. maybe I used a little to much Acetone..

Well, whatever the reason was, it made the outcome work to my advantage.

I just hoped nobody important was standing near that wall when the bomb exploded.

Shaking that thought away, and ignoring the ringing in my ears, I slowly began to make my approach towards the thick blanket of smoke. It was so black, I knew I had to squint my eyes just to make sure they wouldn't sting.

As I stepped over the burned rubble and other debris of the wall, I realized that the alarm that I had heard earlier had stopped. Maybe it was my bomb.. It probably shook the whole side of the building, therefore rendering the electrical stability of the siren unoperational. It was a blessing in disguise, really… because I knew that it would start to annoy me eventually.

As I continued to make my approach into the darkened building, I began to feel a powerful sensation in my chest. With the blackness shielding me, I was _trying_ to make my approach rather quietly.. But against my willpower…. I couldn't help it.

A loud and deep cough escaped the pit of my throat.

The smoke was getting to me.

I used my sleeve to muffle the sound, but I knew that if anybody was nearby, they'd be able to hear it. I knew for a fact that they already heard the blast and had to be rushing towards my location… so maybe a cough wasn't anything to worry about… But that also meant that I had to find Riley..

..and I had to do it fast.

As I stepped over the remaining pieces of the wall, and as the smoke began to fade a little, I slowly realized that I was in some sort of hallway. It would've been all white if not for my explosion. It was strange. The outside of the building looked so old and run down.. But the inside seemed to be… nearly futuristic…

How in the world did he keep this place up so well?

Suddenly, a blurred figure ahead of me broke me out of my train of thought.

I knew that if I got caught now, the chances of me being able to save my brother were slim to none. And I wasn't going to face those odds.

So without even thinking about it, I grabbed a sharp piece of wood from the floor and held it in front of me like a sword. I silently kicked myself for not bringing any of my normal weapons with me. I'd normally never make any slip ups like that, but I didn't have time to think about that now. I just had to make due with what I had.

To my horror the shadowy figure began to rise up from off the ground. Probably a victim of the blast. I gripped my weapon tighter.

"Don't you move.", I said loud enough for the other to hear. I didn't know who it was, but if they were going to try and attack, I was definitely ready.

But… to my surprise… the figure quickly regained his position on the floor.

Now…

It was at this moment when I realized that the figure was a bit… small. Definitely not the sadistic maniac that I expected to find behind these walls. As I began to step a little closer, I realized that what…. -_who _I was seeing, was probably a patient. It had the small frame of a child, so that was the only logical explanation. If it was indeed a child, I knew that I didn't want to scare them off. Maybe they knew Riley and could help me find him.

It was a stretch, but I knew I had to try.

"Riley..", I said, stepping closer. I was beginning to continue with a, 'do you know someone of that name', but a voice cut me off.

"_Fuck off! You aint-"_

Even though I could hardly hear the rest of that sentence, I recognized the voice _instantly_.

My heart literally jumped with joy as I quickened my pace towards him.

"Riley! Get up, and lets go!", I exclaimed in his direction. Part of me could hardly get those words out. The excitement and nervousness was taking a toll on me.

"_Did you hear what the fuck I just said?! Back… the fuck… OFF!"_

I stopped for a brief second. Yep. That was Riley alright. But what I couldn't understand was why he was being so hostile. I began to trot towards him again.

"RILEY!", I yelled just as I reached him. He had his back towards me at first, but he quickly yanked his head in my direction…

…and I was met with eyes that looked just like mine.

And right then… I knew that my long search was over.

"HUEY!?", he exclaimed with widened eyes.

Hearing his voice really put my heart at ease… because I knew that he was alright.

We just… stared at each other for a moment. Taking it all in, I suppose. It gave me time to study his condition. He was… two shades darker. Probably because of the smoke… But that's not what got to me. My eyes wandered down to his torso. He was dressed in… what used to be, I'm guessing, an all white outfit… but to my horror, it was matted in dark liquid. It didn't take a genius to realize it was blood. My heart beat started to accelerate all over again. It was time to finally break the silence.

"Riley… are you… D-Did you…"

I just couldn't get my words straight. Seeing him like that put me in a state of shock. I just… I just couldn't stand the thought of ever losing him again… so I just didn't say anything. All I did… was drop my weapon… and wrap my arms around his body in a tight embrace. I pulled him close and sighed. I only did this when he or I were faced with a terrible situation…. But maybe I should start doing it more. Because…. You just never know when you'll lose somebody you care about.

I chuckled to myself..

I knew it was only a matter of time before I got the 'Nigga you gay', response from him…. But at this point… it would be the most welcoming sound I'd ever hear.

But… after a few more seconds of our embrace, I was met with silence.

It shocked me even more when he pushed me away.

I lowered my eyes at his actions… because I knew why he did it.

He was probably furious with us… with _me_… for not getting him out of this place sooner. He probably thought we didn't care about him at all. And who would've blamed him? Granddad and I always deemed him as the troublemaker. It was true, yes… but it often made us not even consider that there was ever any good in him. And… we were wrong for that.. But I knew for a fact that all that was going to change.

I cleared my throat. "Riley… We're… I'm.."

I looked over at him, expecting him to curse me out, but to my surprise, he was fiddling with something on the ground. I couldn't really make out what it was because of the smoke that still surrounded us, but it was obviously important enough for him to not have heard a word I just said. I raised my brow at the sight… Here I was trying to apologize, something I never do, and he's preoccupied with something else. I began to speak again, but he cut me off.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I missed you too and all… But we gotta get the _fuck _out of here. Now!", he said as if he were in a rush. He looked over at me with a look in his eye that I couldn't make out… It was like a mix of worry and anxiousness.

"You… you gotta help me… Please…"

My eyes went wide at the neediness in his voice.

I don't know what went on in this fucked up place… but it must've been equivalent to _hell_ to make Riley beg like that. I knew that I had to get him out of here ASAP and I wasn't going to waste anymore time.

He wanted me to help him… and that's what I was going to do.

I quickly stood up and checked our surroundings. I couldn't really see anybody, so that meant that all we had to do was make our exit out of the gaping whole in the wall. It was so easy. We'd be home free in no time!

"Can you walk?", I asked, looking down at him.

"Yeah.."

He still was fidling with the thing he was holding. …What was it?

"Good. Come on… Lets go…", I said ignoring it as I began to make my retreat.

"Hold up!"

I looked back to see Riley still sitting in the same spot. What was wrong with him? We had to go right _NOW_. Why was he still sitting there?

"Riley, come on! We don't have much time!"

"You gotta help me, man!", he yelled.

I shook my head in confusion. "What do you think I'm _trying_ to do!? Just get up!", I screamed angrily.

"Help me with _her_!", he snarled through clench teeth.

I raised a brow, confused. "_What?!_"

"_CHRIS_!", he bellowed.

I balled up my fists in anger. He was talking nonsense! Maybe they gave him something to make him confused and delusional. And if that was the case, I knew I had to get him out fast.

So, I quickly ran over to him and grabbed his shoulder.

"Riley, we need to go! Right…..right…now…."

My voice trailed off when I saw something I hadn't noticed before.

By this time, the smoke had cleared a significant amount… which made me see that he wasn't fiddling with a 'thing' per say…. But… a small… body?

At least… I think it was a body…

And if it was indeed a body…

It looked as if… it were a child…

It had the shape of one, yeah… but it was so badly stained in red that I couldn't even make out whether it was a boy or a girl. Its hair was kind of short and matted to its skull… And… it wasn't moving.

I glanced over at Riley and realized that he was adjusting some kind of… cloth around it's torso. Probably trying to bandage some kind of wound.. As I studied it closer, I came to the conclusion that said wound was probably the cause of all the blood that I saw on it… _and_ Riley.. So that meant… the it wasn't his blood… but… but this..

…corpse.

"See? I… I told you that you was gonna get out…", I heard him whisper to it almost deliriously..

I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

I couldn't even speak.

"Huey… we gotta get her out…", he paused and looked over at me; his hand still on her torso. "Help me pick her up…"

So… it was a _her_…

I watched silently as he positioned himself towards her feet as if he were about to lift her.

"Come on!", he urged frantically; a manic look in his eye. "Help me lift her.."

All I could do was stand there..

…and watch my brother trying to save someone..

…who was dead.

I felt my chest tighten up at the sad sight.

"Huey! The _FUCK _is you doin'?! Don't stand there like a fuckin' dumbass, _HELP_ me!"

"Ri…Riley…", I managed to choke out.

"_What?! _", he screamed angrily; his voice cracking in the process.

I stepped a little closer. "She's… she's…"

"Yeah, she got shot and she's bleeding, so _move_ your _ASS_ before she fuckin' _dies_!"

So, that explains the gunshots I heard earlier.. So that wound that he was trying to bandage… was from a bullet. …a bullet that went through her stomach. I swallowed hard. I knew that I had to tell him the truth sooner or later… and given the situation we were in.. I knew the option had to be sooner..

"Riley… she's…. she's already… dead…."

He looked up at me quickly as if he were offended. _"WHAT?!"_

I quickly kneeled down by his side and tried to lead him away from her body. He tried to fight me, but I remained stern.

"AY! What is you _DOIN_'?! Get _OFF_ of me! She AIN'T _dead, _nigga!"

He was delirious.

But I held his arm tighter.

"It's okay, Riley… It's okay. You've been through a lot, I know… But this girl… she's… she's.."

"_You… you two.. look just.. alike…"_

The small voice stopped Riley and I dead in our tracks.

I know good and well that my heart stopped for a few seconds, because I simply couldn't fathom what was happening at the moment… I nearly had to smack myself to make sure this was real…

The corpse…

…it… it just spoke…

Or maybe…

…maybe it wasn't a corpse after all..

I looked over at Riley in shock. My mouth was open so large that it could've hit the ground. I just… I thought _sure_ she was dead… All the blood… and… she wasn't even _moving_ at the time.. Anybody could've made the same mistake. My eyes went wider when I realized something…

Riley had said she had gotten shot…

…and if that was the case..

…how was she still alive?

Riley gave me an angry look and focused on the 'resurrected' girl that lay in a pool of her own blood.

"Chris… you're gonna be okay. He's my-"

"..b-brother.", she said cutting him off.

"Yeah…", Riley replied while glancing over at me. He then looked back down at her and sighed. "We're finally gonna get out of his _shithole_, Chris. Just.. just hold on.."

"Chris..", I said outloud without even thinking about it.

I was still in shock that this… 'Chris'… was even breathing at this point. If that bullet wound was where that huge bandage was, there should be _no _way that this girl should still be alive.. Either that bullet missed all her vital organs..

…or she was just… one strong kid…

I looked over at her and realized she was staring directly at me. I suddenly began to feel a little uneasy for some reason. I just accused this girl of being dead right in front of her. So… it was safe to say that the situation was a bit…

….awkward.

I was about to say something to her…. To….to… try and apologize… but her soft voice cut me off.

"Nice… nice to meet you… H-Huey… ", she said softly. She made a weak attempt to reach out her hand in my direction, but she coughed a few times, causing her hand to drop, and some blood to fly out of her mouth and stain my brother's pants.

I expected him to jump back in shock; scolding her for getting blood on his 'gear' …but to my surprise…. He didn't say a thing… he didn't even flinch. He just… looked down at her and smiled..

I nearly had to do a double-take. It was a sight I thought I'd never see.

"Huey… we gotta go… _all_ of us."

Riley's voice cut me out of my thoughts. He was right.

But... despite that.. I still couldn't believe that he nearly denied his freedom… just to save this girl.

Who… who _was _she?

I mean.. I knew her name and all… but that still didn't tell me who she _was_…

I looked down at her again. Even though blood seemed to ooze from every oraphis on her body… she still managed to look up at him and smile.. I just… I just couldn't help but wonder what they had to go through to get to such a level of… friendship. _Was_ it just friendship? I knew he was friends with Cindy… but I don't think I've ever seen him look at her the way he was looking at Chris right now. Full of… compassion. I never would've thought that he could feel any type of compassion for a girl… let alone _this_ girl.

I took this time to get a closer look at her face. And I realized that not only did she get shot…. But she was badly beaten as well. Bruises were everywhere… both her eyes were blackened… her mouth was swollen… and her nose was crooked; most likely broken. Er face didn't even look human, let alone like a little girl..

...yet Riley was looking at her like he didn't see any of that.

I have to be honest… I never thought in a million years that someone like him could make a… _friend_ in this messed up situation… let alone a friend that he'd risk his life to save.

What happened behind these walls? What kind of hardships did they both have to go through to get to this point? It must've been something really serious for Riley to act _this_ way towards someone other than himself. How? ….How did a girl like this… _'change'_ him? What was so different about _her?_

Maybe… maybe I'll never know…

But I _did_ know this…

If Riley thought that this girl, who was obviously near death, was worth saving…

..then she was _definitely_ coming with us.

"Huey!", Riley exclaimed. Probably for the hundredth time.

I snapped out of my thoughts and looked over at my brother. He was obviously ready to het himself, and this girl out of here in the next five seconds, so that meant I had to think fast. I was in no way, shape, or form a medical professional. But I _did_ know a thing or two about first aid. I just hoped that it applied to this situation.

"We can't just lift her up. We need some sort of support…", I said, trying to think things through. I studied her body closely trying to figure out the best possible solution to get her out safetly, while not putting her in too much pain.

It proved to be a challenge.

I knew that if we bent her back in any awkward way, the blood from her wound would come out even faster. I guessed the bandage that surrounded it was doing its job of slowing down the bleeding immensely, but I knew that any forceful movement would undo all those efforts.

"Support? What kind of support?", Riley asked looking in all directions as if it would be lying around somewhere.

"Like…. Like a gurney.. a… a flat surface so there wont be any… any trauma to the w-wound..", Chris replied softly. She then looked over towards me. "…Right?"

I raised my brow, surprised by her intellect. It seemed that she had… a lot of knowledge about situations like this… But.. how? I mean.. she was just a kid. Despite her bloody condition, I could still tell that she looked to be about Riley's age, or even younger. Definitely not qualified to give such an answer..

I cleared my throat, still kind of confused as to what to say. "Well… yeah. …But... how did you know that?"

"_Oh, it runs in the family_.", a scratchy voice stated ahead of us.

We all emitted a collective gasp.

Suddenly, I saw movement out of the corner of my eye.

..and to my horror.. I watched as a tall figure rose off of the ground

…with what looked to be a small gun… -a pistol, in his hand.

I narrowed my eyes with hate when I realized who it was..

..when I realized he was the whole reason I was here..

I took a deep breath and clenched my fists.

"You wanted me, Scott… and here I am."

* * *

Now, don't get me wrong. Every being in my body was happy to see my brother. And… it took all my strength not to hug him back when he embraced me. (Even if it _was_ kind of gay.) But we ain't have time for all this lovey-dovey bullshit. Chris was in some serious pain, and I wasn't just gonna leave her here like this. Huey seemed to come just in time. Because he was just the person I needed to help me get Chris out of here.

I quickly pushed him away and rushed by Chris' side to begin to tighten the bandages on her stomach for the trip. During my work, I heard Huey saying something to me.. But we'd have time to talk after all this shit was over. And whatever he was saying probably wasn't important anyway. He was probably trying to apologize for leaving me here so long. But I ain't care about that shit anymore. All I cared about was us getting out of here right at this moment.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I missed you too and all… But we gotta get the _fuck _out of here. Now!", I exclaimed a little too anxiously. I then looked over at him after I got some of the bandages situated. "You… you gotta help me… Please…"

Now, I don't normally beg like this. _Especially_ to Huey. But this was an emergency.

"Can you walk?", I heard him ask.

"Yeah..", I said adjusting the bandage one last time.

"Good. Come on. Lets go."

I was about to tell him to help me lift her, but this nigga was already leaving! I raised a brow angrily. "Hold up!", I yelled.

Now.. The next few minutes seemed to fly by with a blur. I don't remember all that was said, but all I knew was that there was a bunch of yelling, and a bunch of Huey acting like a dumbass. First it was like he ain't even see Chris laying there.. Then this nigga had the nerve to say that she was dead! I mean… what kind of shit was that! Chris had to actually say something to make this nigga calm down.

But despite all that..

Somehow, after all that yelling, and after I got Huey to stop staring into space, I managed to convince him to help me get her out of here.

"We can't just lift her up. We need some sort of support…", Huey stated as he looked over Chris' body carefully.

"Support? What kind of support?", I asked, looking around for anything that could be used in this situation. But I ain't see a thing.

"Like…. Like a gurney.. a… a flat surface so there wont be any… any trauma to the w-wound..", I heard Chris whisper to me. She then looked over at Huey to confirm her theory. "Right?"

I watched as Huey gave her a confused look. Ha! Bet he was surprised that he wasn't the _only_ smart kid around here. And after a few more seconds of his stunned silence, he finally spoke.

"Well… yeah. …But... how did you know that?", he asked, clearing his throat.

"_Oh, it runs in the family."_

I snapped my head in the direction of the voice, because I recognized it immediately.

And I was met with the sight of Scott rising up from the ground.

The blast must've knocked him out too.

I silently cursed under my breath. If Huey wouldn't have been acting all stupid, we would've left before this fucker even had a chance to wake up!

But we was too late.. I couldn't fucking believe it. Every time we took a step forward, we were forced eight steps back. I then looked over at Huey, and was about to explain who this fucker was and what he's been putting Chris and me through this whole time… But… it turns out that I ain't have too.

"You wanted me Scott.. ..and here I am.", Huey stated before I could say anything.

My mouth dropped and I felt my hart skip a beat. "You… You _KNOW_ him?!", I exclaimed.

Huey was silent. He just stared at Scott in anger.

It took me a moment to realize that Scott looked like a fucking maniac. His hair was wild, his white lab coat was covered in the black debris of the wall, and he had the weirdest smile on his face. It sent shivers down my spine. I watched in horror as Scott stepped over towards us, pistol still in hand. For a split second, I wondered how he found the gun again after the explosion. But one thing I've learned here was to never underestimate a crazy person.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk..", he began with a raspy voice. He wiped some of the soot from his face and continued. "You seemed to have missed the deadline.." His eyes were trained on Huey and they wouldn't move.

But it turns out, Huey had piercing eyes of his own. I watched as he stood up and stepped in front of Chris and me. His fists were clenched and he was breathing heavily.

I knew he was pissed.

"I see you're just as I pictured..", Huey began in a stern voice.

"The feeling is mutual, Huey… _exceptionally_ mutual..", Scott replied, stepping a little closer. But Huey didn't budge.

I looked down at Chris in confusion. As if _she_ knew how these two knew each other. But it turns out she was just as confused as me. So we both exchanged weird glances, and then turned our attention back towards Scott and Huey. Hoping to find out what the fuck was going on. I watched silently as Huey continued..

"I have to admit. That picture I got of Riley was pretty… disturbing. But it was enough for me to figure out it was _you_ who sent it..", Huey replied, never taking his eyes off Scott.

I raised a brow, confused. A picture of me? When did he take a picture of me? I just shook that thought away and continued to listen carefully.

"If it was so easy to figure out… why did you take so long to get here, Huey? It almost cost your brother his life.." He glanced over at me with a sick grin on his face. I wished Huey would tear this motherfucker a new asshole, and let me help, but I also wanted answers… and I knew that with enough of their talking… I was gonna get them.

"Simple. I had to prepare.", He said as he pointed towards the gaping hole in the wall. "That's courtesy of yours truly.", he then glanced back towards me and shrugged his shoulders. "He still looks alive and well to me. So… I guess your plans on 'taking care of him' if I didn't show up on time didn't work out so well, did they?"

Scott was silent, but still had his eyes glued to Huey's. But one thing was for sure… his grin was gone.

"Now..", Huey continued, stepping to the side and glancing at me. "After I wouldn't go along with your little plan… you were so determined that you kidnap my brother?", he shook his head as if he were disappointed. "I mean really… How desperate _are_ you?"

That's when I had to speak up. "Plan? What plan?", I asked out loud, waiting for anybody to answer it. "And ya'll still aint tell me how ya'll know each other!"

"Oh! So your _dear_ brother didn't tell you?", Scott asked enthusiastically as he looked over towards me.

I looked over at him and narrowed my eyes. "Tell me _what_?"

What did he know that I didn't?

I then looked towards Huey and realized that he was avoiding looking in my direction. And I've lived with him long enough to know that it meant that he was definitely hiding something. I balled up my fists. Not in anger, but in anticipation of what I was gonna find out.

"Huey.. What the _fuck_ is he talking about?", I asked, desperately wanting to know the answer.

But Huey remained silent.

I heard Scott chuckle in reply. "You have the confidence to bomb my wall and finally face me… but not enough to tell your brother the _truth?_ I must say… your family traits are interesting… _Very_ interesting indeed.."

I ignored his smart ass mouth and looked focused on Huey. "Nigga… just tell me. You ain't got shit to lose..", I urged.

I guess that swayed his mind, because I heard a deep sigh escape his throat. I was about to urge him a little more, but before I could, he began talking. So I braced myself for what I was about to hear.

He sighed again..

"About a year ago… I got an email… from someone claiming to be a 'very successful' doctor. Someone who said they had a 'plan for the future.' and that they needed my help.", he paused and looked over at Scott with a snarl.

It didn't take me long to realize who that email was from.

"My first thought, of course, was, 'Why would such a successful doctor contact a 10 year old boy…. for help? ' It all seemed pretty strange to me, but I decided to humor him and let him explain. And… it didn't take me long to realize that this person was a complete psychopath.."

"Psychopath?! Or genuis?!", Scott exclaimed, cutting Huey off. "I had a plan for the future! And your _brilliant_ mind was the key to unlocking it!"

"You wanted to created a pill that would purposely _GIVE_ countless kids mental illneses!", Huey yelled at the top of his lungs. "How does that shit make you a _genius?!"_

"I see you still don't understand…", Scott said with a disappointed sigh.

I had to speak up.

"Hold up, hold up, HOLD up… Why would he wanna do that? To keep this place _open _or some shit?", I asked, looking over at Huey.

He shook his head. "Well… no. In fact…", he said pausing to reach inside his pocket.

He pulled out what I guessed was a piece of folded computer paper. He then unfolded it and looked towards him.

"Why don't I just let you hear what he told me… I took the liberty of printing out our conversation. I hope you don't mind.."

Scott had an uneasy look on his face… but he remained silent. Was whatever he said _that_ bad?

Huey then began to read off the paper.

"Imagine a world with no more troublemaking youth… Sounds completely unrealistic, yes? But with the proper technology, and the proper intellect, we can achieve this goal…", he started, glancing up at Scott.

He then shook his had and continued…

"There are hundereds… perhaps even thousands of parents who are at their wits end with their out of control children. Parents who have no idea what to do with them. They can't put them in school, or around other people in general… So what is there to do?..", Huey paused and turned the paper over.

"…This is where my institution comes in. Woodcrest Asylum. I'm sure you've heard of it. It used to be extremely well known, but has lost some of its… 'luster' after the death of a very acclaimed doctor. My own brother. (God rest his soul…) It has recently turned into a place where disheveled parents drop their troublemaking kids off… only to never return for them. Now, this isn't a behavioral institution, but I accepted those kids out of the kindness of my heart. I couldn't just turn them away. And then… I began to think of something. What if there was a way to… 'alter' those kid's way of thinking? To take that troublemaking 'itch' out of their minds… So.. Naturally, I began to get to work. And eventually came up with a pill that could alter the minds of children… And after a few weeks of testing it out on all the kids, I realized that it was a complete success! Now, they're just as normal as everybody else… But as you know, there's always room for improvement… and that's where you, Huey Freeman come in…"

Huey stopped reading, folded the paper back up and placed it back in his pocket.

"After I read all that, I thought it was wise to do a little research on this man and this Asylum. And from what I read.. It all seemed like a sad story..", Huey then looked over at me and began to recite his research from memory.

"Successful doctor and wife brutally murdered in their home by their troubled 5 year old. Doctor's mourning brother, also a well known doctor, graciously takes niece into his mental institution for treatment."

Huey then looked back at Scott. "It sounded so perfect. But… of course.. I knew better. I mean… what are the odds that a 5 year old girl would go 'crazy' and kill her father… _right_ after he made such a successful breakthrough in medicine? Unless… she had a little help…"

My eyes went wide. Because for the first time in my whole entire stay here….

…I finally knew what was going on.

I had heard this story before…. But it really shocked me that Huey was well aware of it even before I was. I knew there was a lot of shit Huey kept from me and Granddad, but not on this messed up level.

I watched as Huey continued.

"I knew no one would blame you.. Seeing as though you were made out to be the hero. 'Saving' your niece and all.. But I instantly knew the truth. I mean… the logical explanation was that you gave her something to make her go out of her mind… Much like the properties of a hard drug like LSD…"

I silently cursed to myself when I realized Huey's mistake. SCOTT was the one who actually killed them… Chris had nothing to do with it. Her hands were clean. I was about to cut in and tell Huey the whole story… that Chris never touched her parents, but he started to speak before I could..

"…But something in my gut told me that she had nothing to do with it at all. A five year old viciously stabbing up her parents without any motive at all? And no past mental problems? No… it was too unrealistic..", his voice trailed off as he stepped a little closer to Scott, ignoring the fact that his pistol was still trained on him. He stopped a few feet ahead of him and continued. "I think… -I _know_… that it was you. It was all _you.._"

"YEAH!", I bellowed, shooting my fist in the air. I just couldn't contain my excitement. Huey had his bitch ass moments, but dammit, this nigga had some common sense! He knew the truth! Which meant that if we got out of here, it would be our word against his.

"I have to admit… killing her mother was smart, I guess. I mean… just killing your brother, your original target, would've seemed suspicious. So you had no choice but to take both of them out.. And all that… because you were jealous. That… is so sad."

Even though I was happy that Huey was smart enough to know the whole story, there was still something that confused me. So I just had to ask.

"But… what did _you_ have to do with all this? Why did he email you in the first place?", I asked, looking towards Scott.

Huey cut his eyes towards me. "Scott kept up with the news and whatnot. Which, as you know, showed my face a lot. He thought I was 'ahead of my time' and contacted me because he thought that I could help him in his research. That my intellect combined with his could make his 'revolutionary' mind bending pill better. But as you know… I told him to fuck off."

"And that was the worst mistake you could have _ever_ made…", Scott finally spoke up after being silent for a long time.

I was wondering when he was gonna to cut into Huey's speech. But surprisingly, he never did. Until nw that is..

"Huey Freeman… such a ….brilliant mind you have. It explains why you could so easily deduce my whole plan... by only looking at some articles you've found on the internet. Brilliant… simply _brilliant_!", I watched as Scott stepped closer to the non budging Huey. He kneeled down to his level and looked him in the eyes with the craziest look I'd ever seen him give. It was a desperate, out of control look. Like he could burst with excitement at any second. But Huey stood firm; his fists still balled up. I expected him to do one of his weird kung-fu moves on Scott at any second… but he didn't. I think we all heard all that we needed to hear… so why didn't Huey kick his ass? What was he _waiting_ for? He just stood there silently, waiting for Scott to speak up..

And it didn't take Scott long to do so.

"You are one in a _million_, Huey! Your mind… your… your _intellect_ is extremely rare! Especially for someone your age! I mean, just _imagine_ what good we could do in the world if you would just become my partner! We could make so many medical breakthroughs, even more that my _brother_ did….", Scott's voice trailed off when he mentioned his brother. There was a flash of anger on his face… but it quickly disappeared and he continued. "Oh Huey… don't you see? This is the most perfect opportunity for you! Don't you realize how _far_ we can go.. How many children we can help if you just-"

"You don't care about the children at all!", Huey said, cutting him off. "You framed an _innocent_ five year old girl… your own _niece_! You kidnapped my _brother _just to lure me here and threatened to hurt him if I didn't show up!How can you say you care about _anyone_ other than _yourself?"_

"Every thing I did to get you here was _necessary_, Huey!"

"So, kidnapping an eight year old boy was 'necessary'?!", Huey snapped.

"Yeah! The _fuck _is wrong with you, man?!", I chimed in. "And why Lamilton? Why the _hell_ would you pretend to think I was him?!"

"It was all necessary… To make sure you wouldn't catch wind of my plan. It was only luck that brought me on to Lamiton… after Huey rudely turned down my offer, I was distraught trying to find a way to change his mind… and then, a few months ago, I heard about the mishaps of Lamiltion and Huey's kid brother. You can imagine my surprise when I found out that Huey's own brother… was a troublemaker as well. So after a few weeks of planning I finally devised the plan on getting you here, Riley..", he explained, looking over at me. "Giving you Lamilton's identity was just a way to ensure that you'd never figure out my plan…. But eventually you did figure it out, didn't you?", he glanced down at Chris. "With the help of Christina, of course…"

"Oh, that reminds me.", Huey started as he looked around in all directions. "Riley wasn't really the only one I came here to rescue. I planned on coming back for one more person… your niece, Christina…", his eyes landed back on Scott. "I know she's still here…. So tell me where she is. Now."

My eyes went wide. "Huey… she's-

"Be quiet Riley.. Let him talk.", he said, looking back towards me. He then looked back at Scott with anger in his eyes. "Where… _is _she?"

* * *

After everything was out in the open, I knew I had to end this soon. Honestly… I don't know why I kept Scott's crazy plans a secret from my family for nearly a year… And I really don't know why I didn't turn him into the police… Maybe because I thought that since he was white, all his plans about altering the minds of troubled children would be justified. Maybe I just thought that all this would go away on it's own… and if it didn't… maybe thought I could just handle it myself..

I can't believe how wrong I was..

Because of my actions, my own brother could have gotten seriously hurt or worse. And it would've been my fault.

But I couldn't think about that now. All I wanted to do was get my brother… and his accused niece out of this. I didn't normally practice saving other people out of the kindness of my heart… But I couldn't imagine what a kid like that had to go through while she was here all this time. Three years to be exact. What kind of unspeakable torture had she been succumbed to by this madman? Part of me didn't want to find out… But what I did want… was to get her and my brother out of here right now.

I looked over at Scott and realized that he had the strangest look on his face. Stranger than usual, that is. I then looked over towards Riley. If Scott was going to remain quiet, I had to rely on Riley to tell me where she was. Scott did say he knew her after all. But… when I saw that the look on Riley's face matched Scott's, I knew that something was wrong.

"Riley.", I said raising a brow. "Do you know where she is?"

He didn't say a word…

All he did… was look down at the girl he was holding. She barely had her eyes open, but I could see that she looked at me with a somber expression.

Chris….tina…

My eyes went wide when I came to the sudden realization.

"Honestly…", I heard Scott say. "I thought it was quite obvious to you… But I guess I was wrong…"

I felt my blood begin to boil. Not because I had gotten something so obvious wrong… but because his own niece was in such a condition… and it looked as if he didn't even care! I wouldn't look at him. I couldn't look at him..

"Did you shoot her..?"

"…Excuse me?", Scott replied.

I looked over at him with fire in my eyes. "Did you… shoot her?"

"Of course not! I had nothing to do with-"

"Then who did?", I asked cutting him off.

"One of his dick riding guards! Capped her right in her back while we was tryin' to find a way out. But this fucker don't even care!", I heard Riley scream.

"Keep saying I don't care, and you'll _deeply_ regret it!", Scott yelled a little too angrily. Riley probably hit a nerve with him. He then looked at me. "One of my guards thought it was necessary to subdue Christina so-"

"There's that word again. 'Necessary.'", I cut in.

"Well, yes but I assure you-"

"So I hope you understand that what I'm about to do to you is necessary too.."

Without even thinking about it, I ran up towards him and kicked the pistol right out of his hands. I knew that even though he had a gun, that didn't mean he really knew how to use it. Let alone hold on to it when he was caught off guard. And my theory proved to be right.

The gun clattered noisily on the ground and slid against the wall. I ignored Riley's excited yelling as I punched the sick man right in his jaw. He stumbled back with a groan, but quickly regained his composure and made a grab for me. I was surprised at how fast he could move for a middle aged man of his stature, but I still managed to move out of the way just in time. When he ran past me, to my horror, I realized that he was awkwardly making his way towards Riley and Christina. I knew he probably wouldn't hurt his niece, but Riley was a different story. I had to think fast. So without hesitating for a second, I risked everything and jumped on his back the best way I could.

He stopped just short of the two kids and awkwardly spin around, trying to get me off of his back. But I managed to crawl up and wrap my arms around his neck. We both were groaning and grunting. I was grunting because I was trying to crush his trachea, and he was grunting because I was succeeding.

I suddenly felt his hands grip on my afro and he began to pull hard. The pain was immense, but I couldn't let go. If I did, there was no telling what he would do to Riley.. So I held on.

Then, without any warning, Scott's legs somehow gave out, and we were both on the ground. His back on top of my stomach and me still holding on to his neck. It only took me a few seconds to realize what had happened. I looked up and saw Riley kicking and stomping Scott in between his legs over and over again. He would've been screaming if not for me squeezing the life out of his neck. So he had to settle for choking sounds instead..

From the looks of things, it seemed like we were going to succeed in subduing Scott.

But that was the problem. I only wanted to subdue him.

Not kill him.

And if I held onto his throat any longer, his death would be the outcome of it.

I looked over for Riley, but he had moved from his original position near Scott's legs. Probably checking up on Christina again, I guessed.

Scott's choking sounds seemed to echo throughout the hallway. But I did notice that all his struggling began to subside a little. Which mean that he was slowly about to lose consciousness. And that mean that I had to let go. Even though I had planned to spare his life, that didn't mean that I was just going to let him go free.

A well placed kick on the side of his head should knock him out long enough, I figured.

So after a few more seconds of crushing his throat, I finally let go and removed myself from under his body, preparing to subdue him for good..

But before I could… I realized that Scott was face to face with the barrel of a gun.

"Riley! What are you _doing?! _Put the gun _down!"_

* * *

Finally… FINALLY!

I had been waiting all this time for Huey to teach this sick fuck a lesson, and I finally got my wish. Even though Scott had a gun, I knew that this nigga ain't really know how to use it. His aim was terrible. He couldn't hit water if he was in a fucking boat! So I knew that Huey was gonna be alright. Hell, I knew that this whole fight wasn't gonna last long anyway, seeing as though Huey knew what he was doing when it came to kicking ass.

I watched in delight as Huey karate kicked Scott's gun from his hand. It slid across the ground and hit the wall next to us.

"YEAH, YEAH! Get that MOTHERFUCKER!, YEAH!", I yelled excitedly as I pumped my fist in the air. I looked down at Chris excitedly only to be met with sad eyes.

"Riley… I-", she whispered softly.

But I cut her off. "Ay, you'll be aight, I promise." I assured her as I cut my eyes towards the fight.

And to my surprise, I realized that Scott was quickly making his way towards us. I was about to get up to defend myself, But Huey jumping on his back made him stop dead in his tracks. I watched as he wrapped his arms around Scott's neck and began to squeeze as hard as he could..

..and at that moment I realized that I wasn't gonna just sit here like a bitch and do nothing. 'Cause his ass whooping was definitely overdue.

"I'll be back..", I said to Chris as I got up and ran towards Scott.

And without even thinking about it, I kicked him dead in his nuts!

He quickly fell to the ground with Huey under him, but that didn't stop me from stomping and kicking this nigga in between his legs. I expected him to holler out like a little pussy, but all that came out of his mouth was choking sounds. I glanced over towards y brother who was still struggling with Scott's neck..

I knew deep down in my gut that he wasn't gonna let Scott die. But why not? That's what this asshole had coming to him.. And nothing was gonna stop me from giving him what he deserved.

I stopped my assault on his nuts and ran near Chris' side.

"Don't worry.. He ain't gonna fuck witchu anymore..", I assured as I began to retrieve my weapon.

But Chris' voice stopped me.

"Riley… I'm… I'm tired.."

I looked down at her and sighed.

"I know you're tired of this fucker…Shit, so am I… But I'm gonna take care of it so hold up..", I then began to get up again, but she quickly grabbed my arm.

"No.. I'm… I'm sleepy, Riley… I can't…I don't know if I.. can…", her voice trailed off. I looked at her eyes and realized that they were half closed.

"CHRIS! Stay awake… please!, I yelled shaking her a little. "You have to stay awake! I'm about to take care of everything for you, so hold on!"

She opened her eyes and nodded slowly.

"Okay… Go go..ahead…"

"You gonna stay awake?"

"Yes… I promise.. "

She smiled and looked over towards Scott and Huey.

I knew she was a strong girl and that she could stay awake for just a few more minutes.. That was all I needed… just a few more minutes to finally take care of Scott for good.

I quickly got up and ran towards the pistol that Scott dropped and ran over towards him just when Huey had let go of his neck. I used my good arm, and pointed the weapon right at Scott's chest; my finger itching to pull the trigger.

I saw Huey rush towards me.

"Riley! What are you _doing!?_ Put the gun _down!"_, he yelled, desperately.

"What's it _look _like I'm doin'?!", I yelled, looking over at Huey. "I'm gonna give this fucker what he's _earned!" _Nothing Huey could ever say would make me put down this gun. Scott put us through so much shit throughout our stay here. And he thought he was fucking untouchable or some shit. But not anymore. Now it was _his_ turn to feel the pain that he caused me…. That he caused Chris. I watched as he held his throat and coughed, trying to get his breathing under control. So with my heartbeat racing, and sweat sliding down my face, I placed my index finger on the trigger, aimed down…

..and pulled it.

The sound of it was just as powerful as the force of the gun. It didn't make me fly back like the shotgun I shot a while back, but it did force my arm back near my face. Luckilly I didn't get hit by it.

Scott's screams echoed throughout the hallway as he tried to hold his bleeding knee. I wasn't gonna kill him yet. I wanted to make him suffer… feel the pain that Chris was feeling right now. And his constant screaming was music to my fucking ears.

"Riley.. You have to stop!", I heard Huey's voice next to me.

But I didn't answer him. I didn't even look at him. My eyes were focused on Scott.

"It _HURTS_, doesn't it!?", I yelled as I shot him two more times in the same leg.

Scott seemed to wiggle like a fish out of water as he tried to compensate for the pain.

"Riley, STOP IT!". Huey yelled as he made a grab for the gun, but I yanked it away.

"No! You don't know all the shit he _put_ her through, Huey! Just shut the fuck up and let me take care of this!"

I didn't even give Huey a chance to reply. I let the gun do the talking as I shot him dead in his other knee. Blood splattered everywhere, but I ain't give a fuck. Because by the time I was finished, I knew that these walls were gonna be a permanent shade of red. Fire was in my eyes as I watched him scream. It was safe to say that I was enjoying watching him suffer… I guess… that _did_ make me similar to Lamilton in a way…. Enjoying the suffering of other people. And if that wasn't ironic… I don't know what is..

"PLEASE! PLEASE STOP!", Scott bellowed. It was so loud, I was sure it made the walls shake.

I raised a brow as I watched him reach his bloody hand out towards me, as if he was pleading with me to stop. He was shaking all over and his eyes were nearly popping out of his head, but somehow, he managed to talk in a calm voice.

"P-Please… Please stop… I…I'm sorry.. So sorry…", I watched as he put his hand back on his knee, trying to stop the bleeding. He then looked back up towards me with tears in his eyes. "Please… I… I need help, I …I know that… And I'll get it.. I… I promise.. I… I'll let all the children leave… I'll get rid of… of _all_ the pills…"

"…and Chris? What about her?", I demanded, pointing the gun at his chest.

"I'LL! I'll… I'll tell everyone the truth… That it was _me…_ that… that I'm the one who… who… killed them… just please.."

I narrowed my eyes and gently squeezed the trigger a little. "I _don't_ believe you!"

"PLEASE!", he yelled at the top of his lungs. "I.. I promise… that I'll tell e-everyone everything! I… I need help… please… just… please _have mercy_!"

I stared at him for a long time after that. Here he was, this smart and powerful man… begging an eight year old to spare his life. But I knew that wasn't an option. If Scott walked out of here alive, and even if they locked him up tight, I knew that it would only be a matter of time before he found her again. Even _if_ Chris was being protected somehow. Crazy people always found a way to get what they wanted. And Scott's ass was _definitely_ crazy. And if he _did_ manage to catch up to her somehow… what would he do to her? He'd definitely try to hurt her for revenge. I mean… if Chris never would've told me about all this shit that was going on, we probably wouldn't be in the situation we were in right now. And Scott wouldn't be exposed…

But..

…what if I shot him dead right now?

I knew that if I killed him right here, right now… Everything would be over and done with. Scott would be dead, so that meant that he wouldn't ever come after Chris _or_ me. My life could go back to normal, and Chris could actually have a chance of having a normal one of her own.. All of those scenarios sounded great… but that still wouldn't change the fact that I had committed murder. I'd have a normal life after all this shit was over, but for how long? It wouldn't take long for the police to realize it was me who shot him dead. My fingerprints was on the gun after all… And if they charged me of murder… or even manslaughter, I was looking at time in jail… at being locked up all over again in a building full of crazy ass people. Again. I knew that I couldn't have that…

I looked over at Scott and realized that he was still staring at me with pleading eyes; still trembling with pain. And even though every being in my body _LOVED_ to see him this way, I knew that all this had to stop. I just couldn't risk making the wrong decision and fucking everything up for myself…. for Chris..

So finally making my decision, I sighed and slowly lowered the gun…

…only to lift it right back up again with a grin.

I chuckled. "I have to do what's 'necessary', right?"

"RILEY!", Huey yelled, but it was too late.

Scott's eyes went wide with horror. "OH GOD, PLEASE NO!"

"_FREEZE!"_

The deep voice nearly made me jump out of my skin. I reluctantly looked back, only to see that a uniformed officer was standing inside the gaping whole in the wall, pointing his gun right at me. He was accompanied by three more cops behind him that also had their guns drawn. I was speechless.

"PUT DOWN YOUR WEAPON!", he yelled in my direction.

Was… was he talking to _me?_

"PUT IT DOWN, KID!", he continued.

I shook my head violently and looked in Scott's direction. He was still laying on the ground, bloody and exhausted and looked just as shocked as I did. But I couldn't put the gun down.. I _couldn't_! I just _had_ to kill him. If I didn't, he'd eventually show up again and go after me or Chris. And I could risk anything like that. I just couldn't. I looked back at the cops, desperately trying to make them see that putting the gun down was a stupid idea.

"No! I can't! He's fuckin' crazy!", I yelled, my arm shaking after holding it up for so long.

The cop stepped a little closer and looked towards Scott with narrowed eyes. "We KNOW, kid! Your brother already gave us a heads up. Just put the gun.. DOWN."

My eyes went wide at his response. I looked over at Huey and realized that he was staring at me intently.

"He's right. I already told them the whole story, Riley…"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I just couldn't believe it. "But.. _how? _When did you-"

"An off duty cop gave me a ride here, and I explained everything on the way..", He said pointing towards the sea of cops. It was at this time when I realized that there were faint sirens to be heard in the distance.

"It's okay, kid… we'll take care of him…"

I looked over at the cops frantically. "But.. But…"

"Riley… it's okay.. I promise you…", Huey whispered.

I ain't know what to do. Everything was happening so fucking fast! I knew the cops were gonna 'take care' of him, but that didn't mean we was gonna be completely safe from him. But I knew for a fact that if I ain't put this gun down right now, I was gonna have a whole barrage of bullets in my ass… So slowly and reluctantly.. I bent down and placed the gun on the floor… no matter how much my brain was screaming for me not to…

And as soon as I did… all the cops seemed to rush in faster than a speeding train. I expected them to rush all around me, but to my surprise, they didn't…

In fact, they ran right past me and surrounded Scott with their guns pointed. Ignoring his cries of pain, the officers quickly forced him on his stomach and put his hands behind his back. Handcuffs soon followed. I was happy that this fucker was finally gonna get locked in a cell, he definitely deserved that and then some, but I was still worried about what was gonna happen to Chris..

..Chris!

I quickly looked over towards Chris' body and rapidly ran towards her side. She was still looking towards Scott sternly. Probably happy that he was finally gonna be put in jail where he belonged. I sat next to her and laughed as I watched the cops read Scott his rights.

"See? I told you everything was gonna work out..", I said to her with chuckle.

She didn't reply.

I shook my head. "I'm gonna tell them to make sure they put his ass on some _serious_ lockdown.. So he'll never mess with you again…", I continued as I watched some paramedics rush in. They surrounded Scott and put him on some sort of stretcher. Seeing as though he obviously couldn't walk. Courtesy of me.

Chris was still silent.

I looked down at her and smiled. "You're finally gonna get out of this shit… Can you believe it?"

Silence.

"…Chris?"

She didn't reply and she still wouldn't look at me.

It was at this moment when I realized that even though Scott had been carried out of the hallway, Chris was still looking in that direction with a blank expression.

"Chris… say something..", I called as I moved in front of her and looked her in her eyes..

…her unmoving eyes.

"CHRIS!", I yelled, shaking her. She didn't budge.

"NO, NO NO! FUCK!", I bellowed as I put my head on her chest.

She wasn't breathing.

"CHRIS! OH GOD NO! CHRIS!"

I suddenly heard footsteps all around me and I felt a strong pair of hands grab my shoulders. I glanced back and realized that it was one of the paramedics that had taken Scott out.

"CHRIS!", I continued to yell over and over again as he tried to pull me away from her. But I kept fighting. I couldn't leave her. Not now.

I watched in disbelief as dozens of paramedics rushed around her. One of them began to bark out orders.

"_Child, under ten years. Gunshot wound in the stomach and other lacerations to the head, arms, and nose. She's lost a significant amount of blood. "_ I watched as the man felt on her neck. He then called for more help as if he were in a panic._ "Goddammit! We have don't have a heart beat, I repeat, we DON'T. HAVE. A heartbeat! Someone start doing chest compressions! I need an IV in her arm and a Defibrillator in her_e _ASAP."_

I couldn't stop the river of tears from flowing down my cheeks as I watched a man rush in and blow air inside of her mouth. He then began to furiously pump on her chest over and over again in an attempt to get her breathing again. But all it was doing was causing torrents of blood to squirt out of her stomach.

Meanwhile, it took almost five officers to drag me away from her..

"CHRIS!", I continued to yell helplessly. "NO! CHRISTINA! YOU SAID… YOU SAID YOU WAS GONNA STAY AWAKE FOR ME!"

Before they dragged me kicking and screaming out of the building… the last thing I saw was them using a machine to shock her limp body..

One of the paramedics sighed and looked at the man in charge.

"Should we call it?"


	21. Chapter 21

**Ugh… I really hated that last chapter. It sucked. Sorry about that, guys… -_-**

**But this one should make up for it, hopefully.**

**ONE MORE CHAPTER, GUYS! Can you believe it? I know I sure can't!**

* * *

"Boy, we was worried sick about you!"

"Yeah. If you call watching endless Tyler Perry movies 'worried'…"

"AY! I was worried in spirit!"

"That doesn't even make sense…"

"Bet it'll make sense when I _pop_ you upside your head!"

Watching the endless groups of kids stumble and squabble out of the hole in the wall made it easy to drown out my brother and granddad's words. Not that I was gonna willingly listen to that shit anyway. I knew I was gonna get the "We was worried about you", speech sooner or later. So I pretty much knew what to expect.

_Don't worry… it'll be aiight…_

The sun was just peaking over the horizon and it cast a dull yellow light over the outside of the asylum. I couldn't believe a while night had passed… But despite the would be calm morning, life outside of the asylum's walls were hectic as hell. Fire fighters and paramedics were running around in all directions trying to treat the endless sea of kids that stepped out of the building. Police officers were putting up barricades to keep the nosey onlookers at bay. And a Channel 5 News van that was parked along the side of the building was trying to interview all the random people that happened to stumble across the scene.

I shook my head at the sight. What the hell were they interviewing those nosey ass people for? They ain't have no clue what was going on in that fucked up place.

And they were lucky.

_She's gonna come out of there any minute…_

I turned my direction towards a police officer who was standing in front of a group of kids. From what I heard, he was trying to contact some of the children's parents. I knew it was a useless effort, though. The kids weren't in a good state of mind to walk in a straight line, let alone give someone contact information. I raised a brow at the sight. I ain't never thought of it before…. Maybe cause I ain't care…. But what was those kids gonna do now? I heard Scott talking about how parents just dropped their kids off here and left them cause they couldn't handle them… So did that mean they ain't have nowhere to go?

I looked back over towards the hole in the wall. The kids just kept coming and coming. Looking dazed and confused. Some even had to be restrained by policemen because they was putting up a fight. Scared, I guess. Scared of being taken away from their "home."

Damn.. I ain't know there was that many kids in here… There had to be over a hundred…

And what are the odds that out of all of them, the one I got to meet was her?

I squeezed my eyes shut.

_Dammit…_

"Riley."

I quickly looked over towards my brother. He was staring at me with worry.

"Did you hear me?", he asked raising a brow.

"Oh… what?", I asked, confused. I guess I was so deep in thought that I ain't hear him calling me.

"I asked you if your arm was okay..", he said looking over at my wound.

I was sitting in the back of an ambulance with my shirt off and my hand wrapped up in an ace bandage. My arm in a sling. The guy who dragged me out of the building had bandaged my wounds. He said that the bullet ain't cause any serious damage. But that I probably needed to go get stitches or something. He even said something about me braking two of my fingers. At least I think that's what he said…But I don't know…. I was hardly listening to him anyway. My mind was focused on something else..

I squeezed my eyes shut when a thought crossed my mind…

_Don't do it… Don't think of it…._

After a few seconds of getting my head together, I finally looked over at him. "Chill, nigga. It ain't like this is the first time I got shot.."

"BB guns are different from lead bullets, Riley." He said rolling his eyes. He then jumped in the car and sat beside me. We was both silent as we watched the officers force the kids into one secluded area. Probably trying not to freak them out more than they already was..

"Wow, I'm shocked.", I heard Huey say.

"Why?"

"Normally, if I sat this close to you, you'd holler out, 'Eww… you gay!'", he said, poorly imitating my voice.

I looked back over towards the kids and shrugged my shoulders. He was right. I would normally say that… but I ain't think that the time was right. Plus… I ain't really feel like it. When you go through as much shit as I went through, trying to get your brother to admit his true sexuality was the last thing on your mind.

_She's strong… Really strong… Don't worry…._

I rubbed my eyes and sighed. "Where Granddad at?"

I wasn't looking at him, but I could feel him staring at me, shocked at my response.

"Where do you _think_ he is?", he replied, pointing towards my left.

I looked into the direction he was pointing in and saw Granddad talking to one of the news reporters. He was grinning from ear to ear. Probably cause the reporter had a short skirt on and was wearing a shirt that showed a lot of her chest.

I shook my head… but had to smile.

"Same old Granddad…", I mumbled under my breath.

I had to admit. Even though they really got on my damn nerves at home, and even though they really pissed me off for showing up so fucking late… I knew that I couldn't ask for a better family than them.

They were bitch ass niggas… but they were _MY_ bitch ass niggas…

"Look..", Huey said pointing towards the hole.

I looked over and couldn't control the grin that was spread across my face.

There, walking out of the building in a single file line, was all of Scott's guards. Twenty-three in total. And all of them were in handcuffs. They were being escorted to four huge police vans by dozens of officers. I found it funny that these niggas was passed out the entire time from Huey's bomb. They completely missed me and Huey beating the shit out of Scott's crazy ass.

Then again, if they was awake, we probably never could've done it.

I chuckled a bit when they all was pushed inside separate vans. They looked like some shit. Their hair was fucked up and they was all covered in the darkness of the soot. But that wasn't what was so funny.

What was funny was that they was going to jail.

And I watched a lot of police shows to know that other prisoners _hated _child molesters.

I couldn't resist..

"AY! DON'T DROP THE SOAP!"

Some of them looked over in my direction and scowled. But I ain't give a fuck. Lets see how much they liked it when some big nigga rapes _their _ass.

Literally.

I probably would never admit this shit out loud. But part of me _did_ feel sorry for all those kids that the guards had their way with. I mean…. that was some sick shit. Not only because grown ass men raped little girls… but that I knew that it ain't just stop there. I knew deep down that those fuckers messed with the little boys too.

I felt my stomach turn at the thought.

I mean… what if I was one of those trouble making boys that my parents just 'dropped off'? There was no fucking doubt in my mind that I'd be put in the same position as the others. Being fucked every night by grown ass men just so the nigga in charge could keep the place up and running. What kind of shit was that? There ain't any _other_ ways Scott could've thought of to keep the workers here? Hmmph. I guess money talks. Too bad all these kids had to suffer because of it. Including his own daughter..

Now don't get me wrong… I hated that bitch with a passion. Caused me hell here since day one when she tried to grind her ass all over me. But even I ain't think she deserved to suffer every night by nigga after nigga.

But someone did…

"_You know you loved every minute of the rape…. Seven years old and you're already a slut!"_

I remembered Chris' words perfectly. At the time I thought she just said that to piss her and Scott off… but now that I've had a chance to clear my head… I'm thinking that maybe it was more than just a taunt.. Did Maria really _…enjoy _that shit? Did a seven year old really lovedbeing taken advantage of by grown ass nasty men?

Maybe… Maybe I'll never know.

_Stop it, Riley…. Don't think about her…_

I shook my head.

But despite all that… I was kind of grateful that Scott didn't allow any of those niggas to touch Chris. I knew for a fact that whatever he had for her wasn't the type a love an uncle should have for his niece… But despite my hatred for him… I guess he did care..

..a little bit.

Not a lot.

..but a little.

"_You don't understand! You'll never understand!"_

All the random yelling finally brought me out of my trance. My gaze followed the direction of the voice.

Speak of the fucking devil!

Even though I knew who it was, it sounded different to me for some reason. More… out of control and slurred. Like he had finally went off the deep end. I watched as he was being rolled over towards another waiting ambulance. I guess he wasn't… stable enough to walk on his own, so they had to keep him strapped to the metal gurney. Good thing too. Seeing as though he was thrashing around and shouting nonsense. I knew that jail would be too good for this motherfucker. If they asked me, they should put his crazy ass in an asylum where he belonged…

…As a patient himself.

Hmmph. But there was still part of me….-most of me, that still wanted him _dead._

"_This isn't over! I SWEAR it!"_

My eyes went wide and my heart sank when I heard his words. I would've listened more, but they had already closed him up into the ambulance. If he was still yelling… I couldn't hear any of it.

Part of me thought that his… 'threat' was just the ramblings of a crazy fucker who's time was up. But I knew for a fact that I couldn't completely ignore it. Like I said before, crazy people always had a way of getting what they wanted. I was sure they was gonna lock Scott's ass up for good. But that still ain't mean that he had no way of getting out. I balled up my fists at the thought. If he were to get out… there would be no telling what he'd do…

..who he'd come after.

_Stop it…_

I watched as the ambulance sped off as if in a hurry. Maybe the driver couldn't stand to hear all the crazy shit Scott was yelling either. I just wish I had time to talk to someone…. _anyone_ who had power over Scott's fate. So I could tell them how fucked up this bastard really was. How he had to be guarded at all times. Shit, if I was lucky, he'd be given the death sentence. Then he'd be nothing but a fucked up memory…and I wouldn't have to worry about him coming after me… or her..

_You're losing it.. You're losing it!_

I looked down in shame and squeezed my eyes shut. Every time I fucking thought of her, everything inside of me seemed to sear with pain. No matter how hard I tried to focus on something else. To get her out of my mind… I just couldn't do it. I just… I just couldn't believe I was so fucking _stupid! _It was my fault… _all_ my fault. If I wouldn't have… If I wouldn't have left her there… If I would've just been there… she… she..

"_Shit!"_

I buried my head in my hands. I just couldn't hold it in anymore. Just couldn't pretend that since I was finally out, everything was okay. Because it wasn't. It fucking _wasn't_.

"Riley… what-"

"She ain't come out yet…", I said, cutting Huey off.

"Riley…. they-"

"She ain't come out yet, man… They ain't take her out of there yet…", I shook my head back and forth; burying my nails into my forehead in the process. I couldn't do this shit anymore! I was… I was losing it and I couldn't get a hold of myself. I wasn't crying… I was just…. Just…. I.. ain't know _what_ was going on with me.

"She ain't out of there yet… What the _fuck_ are they doing to her in there?"

"It's okay, Riley… They're just working on her. Getting ready to move her, that's all. I'm sure she'll be fine…", Huey said, nearly whispering. I guess even _he_ didn't believe his words.

"Fuck that, man…", I said taking my head out of my hands and looking over at him. "You really think that she's okay? After all that _fucking_ time?!"

"I think-"

"Don't fuckin' _lie_ to me, man…", I said, looking him right in the eye.

He looked away and sucked his teeth. Not because he was mad, but because he was trying to think of some bullshit excuse to tell me. So I just sat there and waited. Waited for whatever this nigga was gonna tell me to try and make me feel better. But he ain't say nothing. He refused to look at me.

And right then, I knew I had my answer.

Without thinking about it, I hopped of the back of the ambulance and began to make my way towards the building. I just couldn't sit there and pretend that everything was okay. And that Chris wasn't in there fighting for her damn life. I mean…. what the _fuck_ was I doing just sitting there like a little bitch! Would Chris do that shit? Seriously! If it was _me _lying on that fucking floor, would Chris just sit out here doing _nothing_! No! She wouldn't.

Because she's my friend.

Not my 'homie'.

But a true friend. Someone who had my back the _minute_ all this shit started to happen.. And I wasn't gonna just _sit_ here and play dumb like I ain't know all that.

No matter what happened to her… I knew she'd hate me if I wasn't there.

"Riley!", Huey yelled, grabbing my good arm.

"Get _off_ me, man!", I said trying to yank him off me. But his grip was too strong. He made me stop right in my tracks.

"Don't go in there, Riley…"

I looked at this nigga like he was crazy. "The _fuck_ you mean 'don't go in there'! I can do whatever the fuck I want!"

"You may not like what you find in there..", he said, looking at me with worry.

"I… DON'T… _GIVE_ A FUCK!"

My voice seemed to carry throughout the Asylum's grounds. It was so loud, that it even surprised _me. _Some people was looking in our direction, but I ain't care. All I cared about was seeing Chris. Even if that meant seeing her in her final moments. And no one, not even Huey, was gonna stop me. And he knew it. Because his eyes were as wide as dinner plates…

…and he let me go.

…and walked away.

So without wasting another second, I turned around towards the hole..

..only to be met with something I wasn't expecting.

…blue eyes.

"Maria!"

* * *

"I…. DON'T… _GIVE_ A FUCK!"

Riley's voice seemed to echo throughout the whole area.

I could feel a lot of eyes on us, but I didn't care. All I cared about was protecting my brother. I knew deep down in my heart that the girl was…. was….

I couldn't even say it..

But despite his outburst… I think even Riley knew it too.

I had to just.. Stand there… staring at him for a moment. I knew the look on my face showed my surprise. And I had to admit… I was… definitely surprised. Never in my ten years of life have I seen Riley react this way towards someone else. Especially a girl..

I kind of… I kind of felt bad that I didn't get a chance to get to know her myself… Anybody who could bring out Riley's true feelings was definitely someone I _had_ to get to know…

But… I knew it my heart that I'd never get the chance..

I let go of his arm just as a girl was walking out of the building. She was making her way towards us. Probably another one of Riley's friends. But I knew she didn't have the same impact on him like Christina did..

Riley… wasn't the same Riley I knew before this whole thing…

He had changed…

And I knew it was for the better..

I turned around and walked away. My hand in my pockets.

I sighed a happy sigh.

_Go on Riley…. Go see her…_

* * *

As soon as I saw her, my blood began to boil.

I clenched up my fists. Oh _GOD_ I wanted to hit this bitch. To beat the shit out of her for what she put Chris through. I knew that she technically had mental problems too, but I ain't care. She had the common sense to know what the fuck was right and what was wrong. And helping Scott to keep us locked up was definitely wrong as shit. But I ain't have time to deal with her right now. I had to go see Chris… because I knew she needed me. And anything I had to say to Maria was something that could definitely wait until later… So without a second look, I pushed past her and began to make my way inside of the near empty building.

"She's dead, you know…"

I stopped dead in my tracks when I heard her. Her voice was nearly above a whisper. But I still heard her clearly. My back was facing her, but I knew from the sound of her voice that she had a smile on her face.. I wanted to turn around right then and pop this bitch dead in her mouth.. But I wouldn't.. Because I knew what she was trying to do. She was trying to distract me from seeing her. She was telling me a bunch of bullshit to get my mind off track… But it wasn't gonna work. My mind was on one person… and it definitely wasn't her. So ignoring her, I started towards the building again..

"She was Daddy's favorite…"

She spoke a little louder this time.. But I continued walking, trying to drown out her words. It wasn't gonna work. She wasn't gonna stop me from doing what I had to do.

"..but I guess she won't be his favorite… not anymore…"

_Keep it together, Riley.._

I had to keep telling myself that. I couldn't let her get to me.. I had to get my anger under control. I continued walking..

"I'll finally be the special one… Not Chris.."

_Keep walking, nigga… Keep walking.._

"….Because she's _DEAD!_"

I don't know how I got to her so fast.

But what I _did_ know… was that I lost it.

All I could make out was all the blonde hair that was gripped awkwardly in my bandaged hand. It took me a few seconds to realize that somehow I had yanked her to the ground and held her in place. I ain't need my other arm to punch her because my foot was already doing the job.

Her screams weren't that loud, seeing as though I kept bashing her mouth in with my foot, but we did eventually attract the attention of some paramedics. The whole ordeal lasted a total of 15 seconds before they yanked me off of the crying girl. I heard a few, "What the hell is wrong with you's" as they let go of me and rushed to the bloody Maria's aid, but that's not what caught my attention..

No… what caught my attention was the three bloody paramedics rolling a small gurney out of the building… with a small body on top of it. My eyes went wide and my heart seemed to stop mid beat.

_Could it… could it be?_

It took me a few seconds to realize that my feet were already moving in their direction. And as I got closer and closer, I slowly began to realize that I had a chance to be by her side after all..

It was her..

It was really her…

I couldn't believe it..

Without even thinking about it, I quickly grabbed the side of the gurney to get a closer look, only to have one of the paramedics hold me back.

It was her alright…

She was covered in a bloody white blanket from the neck down, but it was her… She also had an oxygen mask over her face…

Or was it a breathing tube…. to keep her alive….

"Hey kid! You can't be over here!"

"Move, man! That's my friend!", I said, trying to get past him. But he kept blocking my movements. I watched as the other two paramedics continued to roll the gurney towards a waiting ambulance.

I was running out of time..

But I _had_ to see her!

I just _had_ to..

"Hey, wait a minute…", he said, looking down at me with a raised brow. "You're the kid from earlier, right? The one that was sitting near the girl?"

I looked up at him, desperation in my eyes. "Y-yeah! Is… is she okay?", I asked, nearly out of breath.

_What if I ain't wanna know the answer to that?_

The man looked towards her gurney and back down at me with a sigh.

_No…..No….. _

"I… really shouldn't be telling you this…", he started, rubbing his head.

Tears began to well up in my eyes. I couldn't take this shit anymore! "Just _TELL_ me! ….Please…"

He kneeled down to my eye level and put both of his hands on my shoulders with a sigh.

_Bracing me for bad news.._

"Your little friend is…."

_No…. please no…_

"She…. was in… a terrible state…"

_No… It can't be…_

"We knew we just…. We couldn't do much…."

I squeezed my eyes shut.

_I don't wanna hear it… I don't wanna hear it…._

"But somehow… we got her heart started again…. and got her stable… but we don't know for how long.."

I opened my eyes…

"W-what..?"

"Shit, I have to go..", he said, as he looked over towards her ambulance. The other paramedics were waving at him frantically. Probably telling him to hurry up.

He stood up, and ran towards them. He jumped in the back of the truck and looked back at me one last time.

"We'll do everything we can, kid!", he yelled, just as the door slammed shut.

And then the truck sped off…. leaving me there…

…alone.

I… I never got to see her.

I fell to my knees.

My mind was blank.

I couldn't even blink.

I just stared blankly in the direction that the truck was headed in.

I ain't know whether to be sad…. Or devastated…

I just… I just ain't know.

"Hey, Rick…. Was that the girl? Y'know, the one that stabbed up her parents a while back? That wacko's crazy niece?"

_Shut up…._

"Yeah… it was! You know they found her bleeding to death on the floor in there, right? She got shot…"

"Yeah, I saw all that blood…. You think she's gonna make it?"

_Shut up… Just shut up…._

"Pssh! Naah. I heard one of the paramedics sayin' that she was gonna be dead before they got to the hospital… They just got her stable for the trip.."

_You're lying… you're fucking lying!_

"Geez man, that's rough. Well… I guess her dying is better than having to live with the memory of being raped by all those men. You know those guards did that to them, right?"

"Yup… the little blonde girl told one of the other officers all about it…"

"Yeah… I feel bad for those other kids, though. They have to go through their _whole_ lives with that memory. Death _has_ to be better than that.."

_You don't know what the fuck you're talking about.._

"Wait…. What makes you think _she_ was raped too? That was his niece, right? He couldn't have treated her the same as the others.."

"Yeah, I thought that too. Until I heard one of the paramedics saying that they found all types of bruises and scars near her…. private area…"

_No… No.. Shut up! She was beaten.. It's just a coincidence. _

"Really? Damn… I guess death _is_ better than that…"

"Yeah… Well… lets go see what the chief wants us to do with these kids. It's gonna be hell trying to figure out where to put 'em all.."

"Ugh… Don't remind me.."

Then the two cops walked past me..

...without another word.

My face was moist with tears by this time.

I was so weak that my body just… collapsed on the ground.

I was weeping… sobbing… crying out her name…

_Christina… it can't be true…._

_It just can't be true.._


	22. Chapter 22

**To the guest who reviewed saying, " We WERE. *WERE. W.E.R.E. NOT WE WAS. GET YOUR GRAMMAR RIGHT BEFORE YOU TRY TO WRITE A STORY GODDAMN IT!"**

**Haha. Really, dude?**

**Last time I checked, I was writing in RILEY'S point of view. Through HIS eyes. And as faithful Boondocks watchers already know, Riley's vocabulary and grammar isn't the best. If you were actually paying attention to the story, you'd realize that when I wrote for Huey, the grammar and speech changed dramatically.**

**I know what I'm doing, kid.**

**So…. be gone with you.**

**ANYWAAAAAAAAAAY!**

**I hope the rest of you enjoy the very last chapter… of Woodcrest Asylum.**

* * *

**ONE YEAR LATER**

It was a lazy day.

Nothing really going on. Nothing happening. No kids riding their bikes. No cars driving by. I ain't even hear any of those rich white kids splashing in their pools. Nah… the only thing I heard was the soft wind blowing, and the sound of my footsteps on the sidewalk. I was walking for about twenty minutes, I guess. Sometimes I stopped dead in my tracks. Wondering if the place I was going to was gonna be a waste of time or not. But after a few seconds of talking myself into it again, I would eventually keep on walking. But there was still something in the back of mind telling me to turn the hell around. I sighed. I guess I was just gonna have to ignore that nagging thought.

I shoved my hands in my pockets as I walked along. Not because it was cold outside, though. In fact, it was a warm afternoon. Normal for the middle of May, I guess. I sighed as I fiddled with the cold steel that was secretly hidden in my pocket. I kept wanting to touch it for some reason. Checking if it was still there every few seconds. It was actually Huey's idea for me to carry a switchblade around all the time. Guess he ain't want no more niggas sneaking up on me and taking me to God knows where. And I ain't blame him. I'd give almost anything away if it meant changing all that shit that happened to me a year ago. But like that blue assed monkey on the Lion King said, 'You can't change the past.'

I stopped again, desperately wanting to turn back around..

_Just keep going.. You might get lucky this time.._

I just wished these fucking thoughts would get out of my head. I had walked this far, so I knew I had to just keep going. No matter what the outcome will be..

I walked on.

Damn… I gotta say… a lot of shit has happened since the Asylum got exposed.

First off, the whole damn building got condemned. And I mean it was SHUT. _DOWN_. The police and some other detective niggas went in and got all the evidence they needed, but as soon as they did that, the whole building was declared, 'Unfit for use by ANYONE." I could only imagine all the crazy shit they left in there, though. I mean… I ain't even get to _see_ the whole building, so there _had_ to be some messed up stuff hidden behind those millions of doors I aint never open. Some kids in my school be making up stupid ass stories about the place, though. Saying it's 'haunted' and shit. They even be daring their friends to go out there at night and explore it.

White people always wanna explore some shit.

But even though I knew those stupid stories wasn't true, you couldn't _pay_ me to ever go _near_ there again.

I had made it to a stoplight at the corner of the sidewalk. I looked left. Then right. The automated sign read, "Don't Walk", but I crossed anyway. When I made it to the other side of the street, I continued on.

I sighed..

A lot can happen in a year.

And I can tell you this… after people saw that I was involved in all that shit…. And even had a hand in exposing it…

A nigga got popular.

When I got back to school, all _types_ of people was riding my dick! Hehe! You shoulda seen it! They was all asking me questions about what happened in there. What they did to me. How I got out and shit. I probably told the story about a million damn times. I told it so much even _I _was tired of hearing it!

I remember sitting in the back of class with my foot propped up on my desk. I had told them how 50 niggas had jumped me and pushed me into the van. They all cheered when I told them I managed to take out 48 of them. I also told them that I knew the head nigga in charge of that place was crazy like the rest of the kids there. And how I was smart enough not to take any pills they was giving me. They loved it when I told them that I had shot 20 niggas that was trying to chase me through the halls. And how Huey came in all late just as I was about to kill Scott's crazy ass.

They was all signing the cast on my hand and all that good shit. Saying that it was so gangsta that I had punched through three walls to find another escape route. They even kept asking me to show them where the bullet (1 out of 300) had hit me. I had a permanent scar on my upper arm from the bullet that they just loved to touch and take pictures off.

Yeah, they all loved a nigga. I was the talk of the whole school and I loved every minute of it.

But… Huey told me once that 'All good things had to come to an end.'

And he was right.

Over time, I began to tell my story less and less. Fewer kids was asking to see my scars. And the cast with all those signatures eventually had to come off. And in a matter of a few months, I was plain old, normal, gangsta ass Riley, AKA Riley Escobar, AKA H.R Paper Stacks, AKA Horse Choker, AKA Pillsberry Dough Boy, and AKA Louis Rich ….all over again. I got used to all the attention, yeah… But I knew it was gonna come to an end sooner or later. But that ain't mean I couldn't milk that shit until it was over. Hehehe…

I never mentioned _he_r once.

I began to kick a small rock with my shoe as I walked along; trying to take my mind off of things, I guess. But once it got out of my reach, I didn't bother straying away from my path to retrieve it.

I continued on.

The people in school wasn't the only ones that was giving me all that attention, though. The news people was outside of our house every day for a fucking _month_ trying to get me to talk to them. But Granddad ain't never let me go outside. He was hatin' on a nigga, that's all. Mad that they was coming to interview _me_ and not him. But after a few weeks of Granddad basically sneaking us out of our own house to do his daily rounds, the reporters eventually gave up. I was pissed about it actually.. Hatin' ass niggas always got what they wanted eventually. But Granddad was happy. And Huey was…

Well…

..I can never read that nigga's emotions.

In fact… Huey has been treating me …._differently_ ever since I got home from the hospital. I had to get stitches in my arm and this nigga was by my side the whole time. I mean he wouldn't give my ass a break! I couldn't even go take a shit by myself cause he was always near me. Always there. And it ain't change when we got home either. I couldn't go _anywhere_ without him asking me where I was going, how I was getting there, who I'd be with and how long I was gonna be out. What the hell was wrong with him? I mean… I know that me being kidnapped scared the shit out of him or whatever, but DAMN! Give a nigga a break!

All of his nagging and shit died down after a few months, but he was still treating me differently.

Like he gave a damn about me for once.

Hell, he was even there when I had to testify against Scott and his guards in court.

I shook my head when I thought about it..

That was the most packed courthouse I ever saw. It was even more packed than when the R. Kelly case was held there. Granddad wanted to be cheap and not pay for a good lawyer for me. So I had to settle for Tom's bitch ass. Huey thought I was nervous about testifying against Scott and the others, but truthfully, I couldn't _wait_. I was definitely gonna have a _big_ hand in making Scott and his niggas get locked up forever.. Being butt pounded for years and years to come. I remember that shit like it was yesterday. I had my fresh ass suit on. Some black on black shoes. I even found an old Rolex my nigga Gangstalicious got me a while back.. Hehe, A nigga was CLEAN, though! Looking fresh as hell! Ahahahaa..

Uhh…. Ahem.. Anyway..

His guards entered the room first. They was all dressed in white jumpsuits. For a second, they had reminded me of the kids in the asylum. _All_ the guards weren't there, though. Out of the twenty five that worked in the asylum, fifteen of them actually showed up that day. There was a few earlier cases with some of the more mentally capable kids testifying against the others. I guess the other 10 already got what was coming to them. Which meant that I had to handle the rest.

After the guards finally came in and sat down, it was time for Scott to make his entrance. He ain't look much different from the last time I seen him. Same white man with the same bald ass head and the same glasses. He never broke eye contact with me made his way down the aisle. His wheelchair was squeaking as he went along.

What? You ain't know? Apparently, when I shot that fucker in the legs, the damage permanently crippled him. He would never be able to walk again.

And did I feel bad that I basically ruined his whole fucking life?

Heh, I think you already know the answer to that.

The whole trial itself ain't take long. There was so much evidence that Scott and his goons never even had a chance. Some kids were even there to testify. I thought I was gonna be the only one, but I guess it was better to have more people calling Scott out on his shit. And he wasn't happy about it.

In the end, though… the guards got fifteen years in jail. Each. For child molestation, battery against minors, and other shit that I ain't even know about. Did you know some of them niggas was on drugs? Shit, I didn't. All of them couldn't get no parole. Their sentence should've been more severe, if you ask me. But what're you gonna do, right? Atleast they was being put away..

What happened to Scott, you ask?

Well..

He got life.

Battery against minors, giving life threatening drugs to minors, running the asylum without a permit, and negligence. Not to mention three counts of murder in the first degree.

He was gonna be in jail for the rest of his life.

He was gonna _die_ there.

And I couldn't be happier.

I remember grinning from ear to ear in the courtroom that day. I got what I wanted. And nothing could be better than that…

_She…_ was never mentioned.

"Damn…"

I stopped dead in my tracks when I finally reached my destination. I swallowed hard when I surveyed the area. No one was around. It was just me. Alone in a part of town I never been in before. I sighed. There was that nagging feeling again. Telling me to turn the fuck around and go about my business. But I came this far, so I couldn't turn around now… I had to just stop being a bitch and do what I came here to do. I clenched up my fists and closed my eyes; feeling a tightening in my chest all of a sudden. What was wrong with me? Why did I feel so… scared? Nervous? I wanted to walk forward, but my legs wouldn't cooperate with me. I was stuck..

And right then, I remembered Huey's words from earlier..

"So… you're absolutely _sure_ you wanna do this?", He asked me as he handed me the directions.

I nodded in response, not saying a word as I walked out of our front door. I could feel his eyes on me as I left.

I was doubting myself even then.

I finally opened my eyes and stared ahead of me. I knew that me just standing here was making me feel worse and that was the last thing I wanted right now. So, without another reluctant thought, and my legs feeling as wobbly as Sarah's peach cobbler, I began to walk forward slowly… dreading what I was gonna be met with…

I sighed as I began to cross the street..

I just hoped she'd be here…

When I made it to the other side of the street, I sighed and stepped up to the edge of the cemetery.

The wind began to pick up a little, making it's huge, rusted metal gates shake and creak. It kind of made the whole field give off a creepy feel. But I wasn't scared of no ghosts or nothing like that. Nah… what I was scared of was not being able to find her… So with a deep breath and my heart nearly pounding outside of my chest, I began to make my way through the huge gates.

The cemetery was really quiet.. Well… I guess that was normal for a place like this. As I walked slowly through the field, I realized that the tombstones was all gray and a variety of sizes. But when I read the names, I knew that I had to walk deeper and deeper inside. Damn… how big was this place anyway? It was like the rows and rows of tombstones never ended. How the hell was I supposed to find her in all this?

I sighed as my feet nearly sank into the dirt of a recently filled grave. Part of me ain't feel right walking over a bunch of dead people, but I came this far… And I couldn't stop now. So I just shook my foot off and continued walking.

I looked at tombstone after tombstone. Reading the names.

_Carrol_

_Cassidy._

_Booker._

_Smith._

_Ronald._

I gasped.

…Davis!

My eyes went wide when I read the name. But they quickly lowered when I realized that the first name read, 'Spencer'.

It wasn't her.

So I continued to walk.

I was nearly in the middle of the large field by now and I still couldn't find her. I must've looked so damn stupid. Walking around alone in a cemetery, not knowing where I was going. Good thing I was the only person here. I looked up into the sky and realized that the sun would be going down soon, so If I wanted to find her, I knew I had to do it now. But how could I? Despite their size, all these tombs looked the same. If I kept looking like this, I knew it would be a matter of time before I started going in circles or losing my place. And that wasn't something I came all the way out here for.

_It's no use.. She was never gonna be here in the first place…_

I came to a complete stop and turned in the opposite direction.

Who the hell was I kidding? I knew I couldn't find her. This cemetery was just too big. Maybe Huey made a mistake. Maybe she was actually buried in some other part of Woodcrest. Maybe I was just wasting my fucking time walking around here like some kind of dumbass.

Maybe.. I was never meant to find her..

Never meant to finally make my peace.

I began to walk back in the direction in which I came. I'd just have to tell Huey that he made a mistake. I wasn't mad at him for doing it. Because I knew that it just wasn't meant to be. I was just never meant to see her again. He'd probably try to convince me that we could still find her somehow, but I knew that was gonna be a bunch of bullshit. And that it was gonna be too late. It was either this day or no day at all. We wouldn't get another chance. We both knew that.

I sighed as I neared the exit.

"Oh well…", I said, taking one last look behind me. "…'least I tried.."

I began to lower my head in shame, but something to my far left caught my attention. Something colorful.

I raised a brow and looked over in the direction and realized that it was dozens of different colored flowers. Flowers near a grave that I seemed to have missed. And from the looks of them, they were fresh. Unlike the rest of the flowers around here that was wilted and brown. Nah.. These looked like someone just bought them..

A smile crept across my face when I noticed something…

_It's her.._

My heart beat began to race..

I finally found her…

I quickly trotted towards the grave; my heart pounding in the process. I couldn't believe it. I just couldn't believe it. She was here… Huey ain't make no mistake after all… I'd hug that nigga if he wasn't so gay! When I neared her, I slowed down and approached the grave slowly. I was out of breath. Not because of me running, but because… well… I was afraid.. Unsure of how this whole thing was gonna go… Would it be a waste of time? I just… I just ain't know..

When I finally reached the grave, I quickly glanced at the writing on it. I ain't have to, but for some reason, I did it anyway…

And gasped.

It wasn't the grave I was looking for…

It was right _next_ to the grave I was looking for.

It all started to feel so surreal now..

Here I was, face to face with the grave. Everything around me seemed to halt. The wind, the creaking of the huge metal gate, the rustling of the tall trees. It was just me alone with the grave I've been searching for… for so long..

Alone with her..

The stone was medium sized, and seemed to be a lighter gray than the others, but as soon as I read the words, I knew that I had I finally had the chance to make my peace..

**CHRISTINA DAVIS**

**She will always be loved.**

And that was it.

That was all it said.

Nothing more. Nothing less.

Maybe because they barely knew anything about her…

I sighed at the thought and glanced at the grave right beside hers.

**Marshall Davis**

**Genius extraordinaire. Father. Husband.**

**Will always be missed.**

_He was right next to her… _

I knew it was what she had wanted.

I looked over at her grave again.

I just kept reading the words over and over again in my mind. Until they got blurry and unrecognizable. I knew I was just stalling. Trying to hold off on doing what I came here to do in the first place. But I knew I couldn't stall forever. I knew I had to finally make my peace with her. I cleared my throat… I had rehearsed the whole speech at home before I left. I knew it word for word, but It was still hard to come out and say it now. …While I was so close to her. I clenched my fists and closed my eyes. I ain't know why I was having such a hard time…

Maybe because I knew she was pissed at me…

Pissed because I basically left her to die right there on that floor..

_I was so stupid that night.._

I kept reading the tombstone over and over again. Everything I wanted to say just wouldn't come out. No matter how hard I tried to say them. I was pissed at myself for being a little punk. All I was trying to do was apologize for all the shit I put her through. To apologize for all the pain she faced while trying to save me that first night… For risking her life making her tell me about all that classified shit… For… for making her run after she got shot…. For leaving her body just because I wanted to get a few good hits on Scott. I… I wanted to apologize for _all_ that shit.. I had it all planned out perfectly in the speech I rehearsed…

But…. But maybe I ain't need a speech… Maybe I just needed to start talking and hope for the best…

_I just need to start talking…_

…and hopefully she'd forgive me for causing so much of her pain..

_Hopefully…_

"C-Chris…", I began reluctantly. I ain't normally do things like this.. But I knew I had to try..

I cleared my throat and looked away. I couldn't look at her..

_What was I gonna say to her?_

"I…I uh…"

_Just say it!_

"I'm… I'm umm.."

_The fuck is wrong with you? Just SAY it!_

"See.. About what happened… I… I…"

_FUCKING SAY IT!_

I squeezed my eyes shut.

"I'M SORRY! I'm… I'm _so_ sorry.."

I looked up at the tombstone and sighed.

"I… I just left you there… ", I said nearly above a whisper.

I was met with silence.

Silence I knew I was gonna hear.

"I shoulda' been there for you… Just like you was with me… But.. But I wasn't!… I… I'm just so fucking _stupid! _It's all my fault!", I exclaimed loud enough to wake up all the dead people… But I couldn't help it. That shit hurt… I looked away in shame.

_I just can't look at her…_

"If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be…", I glanced over at the stone, then clenched my eyes shut and looked away again... I couldn't look at it anymore. Couldn't look at that fucking tombstone no fucking more. "If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be…_Shit_!"

I rubbed my eyes as if I headache. This whole thing sounded so desperate. But.. What other way could I make it sound? I _was_ desperate. Desperate for her to forgive me… But I knew it my heart that she wouldn't be able to.. I knew that all this talking was a fucking waste of time… But I couldn't stop..

I clenched my teeth. "Please… I just.. I just want you to know that I never… never meant to… to… Never meant for it to turn out the way it did… I'm.. I'm so sorry… If I could take that shit back-"

"_Shut up."_

My eyes went wide. "…..Huh..?"

The voice… it was different. Stronger than I remembered it being. Full of life. Through all the shit that she went though, she sounded as strong as that moment she first talked to me in the cafeteria that day… Maybe even stronger… In all honestly.. it sounded like some kind of angel…

"_You… are such… a dummy."_

It was so clear..

I opened my eyes and looked over at the tombstone. I couldn't believe she was actually speaking to me… Couldn't fucking believe it…

"Chris…"

"_You think I blame you for what happened to me, Riley? I mean… do you seriously think I blame you? Riley… if anything… I should be thanking you. When I really needed someone to help me… you were there… until the very end…"_

"But.. I just fuckin' _LEFT _you there!"

I couldn't help but raise my voice.. She couldn't just leave it like this.. No… I wouldn't let her..

"_So? You think whether you stayed by my side or went made any difference? I was gonna go either way. And nothing you could do could stop it. So stop blaming yourself already.."_

I shook my head. I couldn't leave it like this. I couldn't..

"_Riley… I'm not mad at you… I never was.."_

I clenched my eyes shut. It couldn't just end like this.

"Chris, I…-"

"_Fine. If you really want me to say it, I'll say it…"_

My eyes went wide.

"_Riley Freeman… I forgive you. From the bottom of my heart. And nothing's ever going to change that…. Okay?"_

I looked down at the tombstone again and sighed. How? How could she forgive me just like that? So _fucking_ easily? I had this whole damn speech prepared just for her… and I ain't even need it. But why? Why did she just… brush it off like that? It was all my fault… _EVERYTHING._ If I ain't get us caught in the hallway that night, she wouldn't have gotten beaten just to try and protect me… I made her risk her safety by telling me all that shit about the Asylum… If it wasn't for _me_ letting Maria's crazy ass come along with us while we was trying to escape, we would've _never_ got caught and she wouldn't have gotten fucked up so bad.. And if we ain't get caught, she would've never got shot… It was all me!

All my fault… from the very fucking beginning! There was so fucking way she could forgive me so easily…

No… I couldn't fucking believe her.

"No.. fuck that!", I exclaimed. "It was all my fucking fault, and you KNOW it! So stop giving me all this bullshit when you don't mean it, iight!"

Silence.

All that could be heard was my heavy breathing.

"Chris.."

Silence.

"Come on… say somethin'.."

Even more silence.

Did I piss her off even more? Was she never gonna speak again? I lowered my eyes to the ground… I think I just fucked up…

But then… I heard a small laugh..

"_Riley.. If you keep doubting my forgiveness… I'm gonna find out where you live… sneak into your room in the middle of the night… and slap the shit outta' you.."_

Then it was silent again..

But after a few more seconds of silence..

…I couldn't help it..

I busted out laughing… and she joined in.

And for the first time that day… I looked over in her direction.

And I smiled a little.

And she smiled back.

"So… let's change the subject.", she said turning towards me with a raised brow. "How did you know I was gonna be here?"

I awkwardly rubbed my head. I ain't wanna change the subject. There was still some shit I _had_ to say to her.. But I guess it could wait until later. I was just…. shocked that she wasn't mad at me… I can't believe that all this time… I was scared that she wouldn't wanna see me… Maybe I over think things sometimes…

"Well… Huey had looked up the cemetery where your parents was buried… We knew you was gonna show up here sooner or later.. So I just picked a day and came..", I said, glancing down at the tombstone for the millionth time.

It still read the same thing.

**CHRISTINA DAVIS**

**She will always be loved.**

I shook my head at the sight. "Who the _hell_ thought it was a good idea to name you after your motha'?", I asked, looking over at her.

When Huey was doing the research, we had both thought that the one who was buried, was Chris… But after Huey checked the dates, we realized that there was a bit of a mix up..

She laughed and bent down towards the grave; adjusting the flowers that she had just set there. She sighed.

"My Dad's idea…", she said, placing her hand on her mother's grave. "He always used to say, 'Christina Davis: The name so nice, I just had to have it twice!'", she giggled and stood up again; looking towards her father's grave. "Didn't really like the idea of having the same name as my mom, which is why I always went by Chris. It was less confusing that way.."

I nodded. "Makes sense.."

"Mhm.."

I sighed..

Damn…

I had to admit… this was all so weird to me. We ain't see each other in a year, and here she was, talking to me like we saw each other the day before. I felt a chill go down my spine when I thought about how close she came to dying that day. How close I was to never being able to see her again.

After her ambulance sped off, Huey and Grandadd had found me lying on the ground, yelling her name over and over again… They said they both had to force me off the ground because I was fighting too much… But I ain't remember all that… all I remembered was calling her name…

It took Huey a while, but we eventually got a hold of some information on her…

Turns out, she _did_ die on her way to the hospital..

Her heart stopped again.

But they got it pumping again eventually..

They was talking about how it was a miracle that she survived for so long. And somehow, she managed to make it through 6 major surgeries and a blood transfusion.

I had to admit, I was happy as shit when I heard the news… That she was gonna be okay… and I wanted to see her.. But the hospital ain't allow no visitors for her… to protect her, I guess… Because I tried to see her every day.. Even Huey came with me. For some reason, he wanted to see her too.. But they wouldn't let us in. They thought we was some kind of curious kids who wanted to see the 'crazy girl from the asylum.'

So I waited… waited for all the hype to die down about the asylum and the kids… And a few months later, I would have my chance. So first chance I got, I went up there to see her for the hundredth time. But when I got there that day, they told me she wasn't there anymore.. I thought she died from complications..

But I was wrong.

She had been checked out… by a 'distant relative..'

..and taken out of the state.

I had lost my chance again.

"Riley.."

I looked over at her and realized that she was staring at me. Must've been a while too, because her face looked like she was worried. I must've been in such a deep state of thought, that I kind of forgot she was there..

"Are you okay?"

I shook my head. "Yeah… my bad.. I was just... just thinkin'.."

"No, I mean.. are you okay?", she said, looking at me from head to toe. "I wasn't the only one who got hurt back then.. How's your arm?", She didn't wait for me to answer.. Because she walked right over to me and rubbed her hand on my shoulder where the wound was.

_She smells so good.. _

I immediately jumped back; my cheeks turning red. I looked over at my arm and back up at her, surprised. The gunshot wound was already healed, but it shocked me that she still remembered… that she still thought to ask if I was iight.

"I….I'm good. It ain't t-the first time I got shot..", I said with a nervous laugh, rotating my shoulder to show her I wasn't in any pain.

She giggled. "Riiight…"

I raised a brow. "Ay! What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

She laughed again. "Nothing… Nothing at all."

Despite me being slightly offended.. I smiled anyway…

I took this time to look at her appearance.

She definitely looked different from the last time I saw her.. Her face was finally clear of the bruises that was there before… The only thing that stood out was the scar across her forehead. I remember that. That was where her huge gash was… And after all this time, the scar was still there. It probably was gonna be there for the rest of her life… But she looked like she ain't mind. Her hair was longer too, I realized. Not like that rat's nest she was sporting a year ago. It actually looked good. Dark brown and touching her shoulders. It looked like she had it cut that short purposely..

But the thing that stood out the most, was what she was wearing. The long sundress she had on fit her just right. It hung so low, it nearly touched the ground. It was white and had a red trim around the sleeves and around the stomach.

I gave her a look.

It was something I thought I'd never see her in.

I gasped when she looked over at me..

And I swallowed hard..

I ain't notice her eyes before… I mean… when I first met her, they looked just like mine. Dark and normal.. But now… when they was shining in the light of the sun like that… and with her hair flowing in the wind a little…they looked… they looked…

"Hey, you okay?", she asked with a smile.

I snapped out of my trance and cleared my throat. I could feel my cheeks getting red again. "Y-Yeah.. I'm good."

"You're a bad liar…"

I laughed nervously and put a hand in my pocket. "Nah, I'm serious! I mean… I'm good.."

She gave me a look. And crossed her arms.

She wasn't buying it.

I sighed. "It's just that… you… you… umm…."

She raised a brow. "…I what?"

I scratched the back of my head and looked over to the side. "You… you look… different.."

"Different?", she repeated as she looked down at her attire. She back looked up at me, confused. "Is that…. a _bad_ thing?"

My eyes went wide. "No! ….No.. I mean.. you look… you look nice… I guess…" My cheeks was getting hot all over again. I looked towards the side and focused on a random tree in the distance. What was wrong with me?

"Oh…umm.. Hehe… Thank you…"

I cut my eyes at her and realized that she was looking towards the ground with a weird smile. She was fiddling with her hair and her cheeks was kind of red.

She was acting weird.

I cleared my throat and shook my head. "So.. How are you doin'?", I asked, trying to break the awkward silence. "Everything going …okay with you?"

She finally looked up and sighed. She then turned towards her parent's tombstones and stared ahead. Did I make a mistake of asking her that? Was she actually having a hard time getting used to being out of the asylum? I mean.. knew she would. She's been locked up all her life. So it was kind of understandable that she couldn't really get used to being out in the open..

She looked like she was in deep thought. Like she ain't want to tell me about her experience… But after a few more seconds of silence, she finally sighed…

"It's been… hard.", she began, looking over at me. "All the new people… the new places I've seen… the food…even the music is all weird to me… But… I guess I'm getting used to it all.. Victoria said it was gonna take me some time to adjust… and that I'll fit right in when the time comes…"

I raised a brow. "Who's Victoria?"

She gave me a look, then giggled. "Oh! Victoria's my aunt. On my mom's side. Can you believe it? My parents never told me, but when they were younger, they eloped… umm… meaning, they randomly got married without telling their families… They've been living their lives by themselves ever since…", her voice trailed off as she looked at the two headstones. She smiled. "After it got out that I wasn't the one who killed her sister, she did her best to find me… and apologized for thinking I was some kind of monster…"

My eyes went wide. "Damn… that's crazy… When did she find you?"

"While I was recovering in the hospital. She explained everything about my parents and offered to take me in… Since… well… nobody on my father's side wanted anything to do with me…", she looked down and sighed.

"What? Why? What's they problem?"

She looked up at me. "Well… they still think I had something to do with my parents death… They don't wanna believe that Scott did it… so…. yeah… My aun't kind of… adopted me."

I nodded when I heard her words. Part of me was happy that she had someone to take her in after all the shit that's happened, but it was still fucked up that her father's stupid ass family ain't wanna believe that Scott was crazy. Heh, maybe they was crazy as hell too..

My eyes went wide when I thought of something…

"Where she take you?", I asked. When I went up there to see her that day at the hospital, they told me that a relative took her out of the state.. And… I just wanted to know where and why..

She gave me a confused look. "Huh? How'd you know she took me somewhere?"

"Uhh… That's what the hospital people told me…", I said with a nervous chuckle.

Her eyes went wide. "Jeez, Riley! First you find me here, and now you're telling me that you knew what hospital I was in? Why the _hell_ were you stalking me, you freaking weirdo?!", she exclaimed, stepping back with a dumbfounded look on her face.

"WHAT!", I yelled, shocked. "AY! I AIN'T NO STALKER! I was just... I was JUST-"

Her laugh cut me off.

"Relax, I'm kidding."

"…Oh."

She chuckled and shook her head. "I'm sorry. You're just so cute when you're confused.."

My eyes shot open wide. "What! ….C-Cute?"

She gave me a surprised look and shot her hands up in defense.. "Oh! No.. I-..I mean… You're not cute as in.. you know… I like you… Wait.. I _do_ like you. But ..._BUT _not like… _that_. I…. I think.. Wait, no..", she paused and cleared her throat. "..It's just… It's just the way you react to certain things… It's… it's funny.. That's all. You're funny. Hehe …yeah.."

"Uh…huh…", I replied, confused.. I watched as she looked towards the side.

She ain't never act that way before.. Stuttering and shit. I wonder what her problem was..

Hmm… probably nothing.

She looked over at me, chuckled, and continued.. "Uhhh… Anyway… Victoria lives near DC so we went back there.. She said it was good because I needed to get away from all the hype that the asylum made.." She looked away and shrugged. "….and I needed to get some help… She knows a psychiatrist… and.. They've been helping me ever since…"

I gave her a look.

I forgot she had some problems. Even _if_ she ain't kill nobody. I remembered that time when we was in that bathroom that night.. When she was telling me everything. Everytime we talked about a certain thing, she'd go into this…. this… well... I ain't know what it was.. But it made her act all crazy.. Made her pull her hair out and shit… made her say all these crazy things… And when she finally snapped out of all that, she acted like none of it ever happened. And when I told her about it, she said she ain't remember going crazy in the first place! I knew that was something she had to get checked out… and I was glad that she got her help _away _from here… where nobody knew her.. And even if I ain't get to see her for a whole year… I knew it was for the best..

I looked down and pushed my hands in my pockets.. I sighed.

"I ain't tell anyone about you…"

I could feel her eyes on me.

"What?", she asked. She sounded confused.

I glanced up at her. "When… when everyone was askin' me about what happened in there.. Like… the kids in my class… I never told them about you… I ain't tell nobody…"

She gave me a strange look. Like she was surprised.

"Why not..?", she asked in a reluctant tone.

I rubbed the back of my head.

"'Cause… well.. I ain't want nobody to know that you was in there… 'cause I ain't want them to think you was crazy or somethin'… just in case.. you… you came back one day..."

She gave me a look.

And smiled..

"You…. You didn't have to do that…", she said, stepping closer to me.

I shrugged. "Yeah… but I did anyway… ", I said with my voice trailing off. If _she_ did come back one day… and somehow found her way into my neighborhood, I ain't want nobody to fuck with her or nothing like that…It was the least I could do..

I paused and realized that she was staring at me with a weird look on her face. It kind of made me uncomfortable, so I cleared my throat. "Uh… But that ain't mean I kept quiet about Maria's crazy ass!", I said with a laugh.

She smiled a little and looked away.

For a second, I thought that I said something wrong because she looked kind of sad. What was wrong with her? I knew for a fact that she hated Maria just as much as I did… So why was she looking like I just insulted her best friend or some shit.

I raised a brow; and was about to ask her what was wrong, but before I could, she started talking.

"She refused to come with us, you know…"

I raised a brow, confused. "Who? Maria?"

She looked at me and nodded.

"Victoria… well…. When she found out that we were actually related, she offered to take Maria in too.. She's nice like that.."

"And?", I said trying to edge her on..

"And…. Maria refused. She didn't want to be around me let alone live with me… So she stayed in the shelter with the other kids.. Since she needed some mental help too, everyone thought that it was better if she stayed there…", she paused and shrugged. "Maybe it was for the best… she _definitely_ needed some extra help… "

"Yeah… with all those niggas fuckin' her and all…", I blabbed out by accident.

She shot me a quick glance and looked away..

"Hehe… yeah.."

And right at that moment, I thought of something horrible.

Over all those months, I tried to convince myself that what I heard those two officers say about Chris was just some bullshit they overheard… I tried to brush it off. But… when I was right here, staring at her.. I couldn't help but wonder if there was some truth to what they said… Did those fuckers really mess with her too? I shook my head at the thought.. Most of me still ain't believe it.. I couldn't… If all that shit _did_ happen, she would've told me, right? I mean… she told me everything else… So why would she leave something like that out?

I looked over at her and realized that she was still looking straight ahead… like she was avoiding looking over at me.. Yeah, she was acting weird right now, but that ain't mean it was because I brought up some fucked up memories of her being… being…

I swallowed hard.

I looked up at the sky and realized that it was getting later and later… I knew that if I wanted to say and ask everything I wanted to say and ask, I had to do it today.. Right now. I couldn't wait..

I looked back down at her..

I knew it would bug the hell out of me for the rest of my life if I ain't ask her..

_I just…. I just had to know.. _

"You know, uh…", I began, kicking a blade of grass with the front of my shoe. "Those guards that was doin' all that…. They got over 10 years in jail…"

She still stared straight ahead. "I know.. I watch the news."

I noticed the attitude in her voice, but I ain't wanna say nothing about it..

"I heard that they was messin' with all the kids…. Girls _and_ boys…", I continued, glancing at her to see if she was looking at me.

She wasn't.

"_I_ could've told you that..", she mumbled.

I cleared my throat. "Did they ever…"

She quickly looked over at me. "Did they ever… _what?_"

She seemed kind of angry… but not really. It was an emotion that I couldn't read.

I sighed. The smart thing to do, was just shut the hell up about it and change the subject… I knew I shouldn't have ever asked her some shit like that… But I got this far… so I might as well…

"Did they ever.. Do that….", I looked away. "…to… to you?"

The words sounded weird as hell coming from my mouth. I instantly regretted saying it, but I knew I couldn't take them away. What's done was done, and there was nothing else to do but wait for her answer.. If she was gonna give me one, that is.. I sighed. I knew deep down that nothing really happened to her back then; I knew she would've told me. But despite all that… I still ain't have no business asking her some shit like that. And I was sure she was probably gonna tell me…

But when I was met with silence, that's when I knew that something wasn't right..

Confused, I looked back up at her and realized that she was staring my ass down. She ain't have an angry look on her face…It was just… straight. It reminded me of the face that Huey always makes. Unreadable.

She then shook her head and turned her attention back towards her parent's grave. She bent down and began to fiddle with the flowers again. Like she was trying to make them as perfect as possible. But they was already perfect.. So she ain't need to mess with them..

Why was she acting like that? I know she heard me clearly, so how some she ain't answer me? Did… did they really…

I shook my head.

Nah. Couldn't be. I know she would've told me that. Besides. When she told me about Maria being raped every night, she ain't show any signs that she was being raped too…

…Did she?

I remembered when she told me about her.. Like she ain't even care..

"_You know what happened to that girl?", _I had asked her_._

I remember the solid look on her face.

"_Happens every night. That's nothing new."_

I couldn't believe it..

"_Damn… so you don't even care?"_

"_Nope."_

Her face ain't change.. In fact, she looked the same way she was looking now.

_Was that a sign I missed? Was I that fucking stupid?_

I looked down at her.. She was still messing with the flowers. Shit… maybe… maybe I shouldn't have brought it up… The fuck is wrong with me? Even if it _aint_ happen, that's not something you just ask somebody out of the blue. It was disrespectful as shit.. I shook my head in shame..

I stepped closer to her and sighed. "Ay, Chris… You don't have to-"

"What if they did…"

My spit caught in my throat and I stepped back a little. I was shocked at her words, but I couldn't say anything. Mainly cause I ain't know what she meant by that… Was she just challenging me or something? Maybe she was just mad at me for asking her some fucked up shit like that. And I wouldn't blame her if she was.. I really needed to stop over thinking things like that… it made al types of dumb shit fly out of my mouth at the wrong time.

I shook my head. "Ay, I was just..-"

"If they did… Would you look at me differently…?"

She looked up at me with a weird expression. Her voice was soft, but I could still hear her clearly.

I ain't know what to say. "Differently? I…"

She looked down. Her expression was somber.

"Would you think I was gross… or weird… or… disgusting.", she glanced up at me. "…dirty?"

My eyes went wide..

I was at a loss for words.

Why was she asking me things like this? Did she…. Did she think that I thought those kids were… weird for being raped by all those men? And if that was the case, was she just using herself as an example to get me to confess my feelings about them?

I just… I just had to stop and think for a second..

I mean… I ain't think they was weird or nothing.. They went through some pretty fucked up shit, but I ain't think they was weird for it. That ain't make no sense. Nah… if anything, I'd think those guard's asses were the weird ones.. I mean, who the fuck would be attracted to young girls? ….AND boys? _That's_ what I called being 'disgusting' and 'dirty..'

I looked back over at her… By this time, she had stopped staring at me and was focusing on the graves.

I sighed.

"Nah.."

She looked up at me. "What?"

I sighed and looked to the side.

"Just 'cause someone gets fucked by some nasty grown ass nigga don't mean _they_ nasty.. That just don't make no sense to me.."

She stood up abruptly and looked me right in the eyes. I stepped back in shock.

"Are you serious? You _really_ mean that?", she asked, her eyebrows raised.

I shrugged, still a little surprised by her actions. "Y-Yeah.. Like I said.. That don't make no sense to me. Just 'cause somethin' like that happened to somebody don't mean _they_ trifilin' or nothin'..", I paused for a second when I thought about something. "…They should take a long, _hot_ shower though.."

Suddenly, the expression on her face began to change from surprised, to a small smile. I was confused as hell. I still ain't know what all that shit had to do with her. Hmm. Maybe I'll never know. I think understanding females is like trying to understand why Nicki Minaj is so popular.

You just… can't.

I watched as she looked back over towards the graves and sighed.

"You know.. ", she began, glancing over in my direction. "You're much smarter than I thought you were.."

I ain't know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult. But whatever.

I chuckled. "What? So I ain't no 'dummy' no more?"

She laughed and shook her head. "Well, you _are_ a dummy. But… you're _my_ dummy, so it's okay."

We both had to laugh at that one.

_Her _dummy, huh?

I chuckled to myself at the thought. She was so weird..

I sighed.

It was clear that she was officially the strangest girl I ever met..

But… in a good way.

In a _great_ way..

_HONK HONK!_

The loud sound caught us both off guard. I raised a brow and looked into the direction where I heard it. I ain't see nothing at first, but upon closer inspection, I realized that it was a small black car. Sitting far towards the edge of the cemetery.

Maybe they was honking at someone else..

I was about to continue my conversation with Chris, but to my surprise, a dark skinned woman got out of the car and waved in my direction.

I scowled when I saw her.

Who the hell was this bitch? And why was she waving at me?

I then looked over at Chris, only to see her waving back at her.

I raised a brow, confused. "Who the hell is that?"

She looked over at me and lowered her eyes.

"That's my aunt.."

I looked back over at the woman and realized that she had gotten back in the car. From what I seen, she ain't look like she was related to Chris in any way.. But then again, neither did Scott. So I just shrugged it off. I ain't feel like wrapping my brain around genetics right now.

"I have to go.."

My eyes went wide. "What? Why?", I asked, surprised.

_Why? Why now?_

I realized that she was still staring towards the ground.

"This was… well… one of the steps in my therapy.", She then looked up at me and sighed. "Finally coming here.. and making peace with them…", she glanced over towards the graves. "When all the stuff with the asylum died down.. I realized that even _if_ I didn't kill them… I still blamed myself… I don't know why. But I did..", she looked back up at me and smiled a little. "Kind of like how you blamed yourself for _me_ getting hurt.."

I nodded when I heard her words. And for the first time, everything she said made sense to me. I sure as hell blamed myself for what happened to her. Shit, I still do. So I guess I understand why she would blame herself for her parents getting killed.

She sighed and continued.

"I have to admit… when I first got here.. I didn't know what to say to them.. I wanted to apologize… but the words wouldn't come out…", her voice trailed off and she looked up at me, studying my face.

I stayed silent. I just ain't know what to say.

She smiled. "But then… when I saw you walking up to me… and when I heard you trying to apologize for 'hurting' me… Everything became clear.." she said, looking back down towards the graves. I suddenly realized that it was like she was talking to me _and_ the graves at the same time..

_Me and her parents…_

"It wasn't your fault, Riley… And I never blamed you. So… how could I _ever_ think that my parents could blame me?"

I nodded in agreement. She had a point. And a _damn _good one. I knew for a fact her parents couldn't blame her for something like that. And if they did, well… those fuckers got what they deserved. But…. deep down, I believed that they didn't.. And I'm just glad she Chris realized that too.

"They wouldn't blame me.. It wasn't my fault…", she looked up at me. "And you made me see that, Riley.."

My eyes went wide when I heard her words. Was she serious? "I... I did?"

"Yes, dummy. You did.", she laughed at her own words. And I was about to join in… but the sound of the car's horn interrupted us again.

I looked over at the car, kind of pissed at how impatient this bitch was being.

Chris even seemed kind of annoyed, because she sighed and looked up at me with a sad expression.

Then what she said next shocked me.

"We're leaving Woodcrest.."

My eyes went wide, and my jaw dropped a little. What did she mean by that?

"What? Why?", I urged, trying not to raise my voice. I wasn't angry. Well… then again, maybe I was. I just got here, and now she has to leave? _Right_ now? We barely got a chance to talk! What kind of shit was that? I studied her face and realized that her expression ain't change.

"We only came here so I can see my parents… but I still have a long way to go before I'm completely… 'okay'. We have to…we have to go back to DC where my… my psychiatrist lives.. "

She was rubbing her eyes while she spoke. Probably because of some allergies she had.

She then sighed and glanced back towards the car.

And as soon as she did that, I knew that my time with Chris was coming to an end…

But… it couldn't! There was still so much I had to say to her. So much I wanted to apologize for. Even _if_ she ain't accept it. I couldn't just leave it like this. I mean, yeah.. She said she ain't blame me and all… but that wasn't enough for me. For some reason, I still needed some kind of closure… some kind of.. peace. And if she just left me right here, in this cemetery all alone, I knew I'd never get it. I'd never feel like proved to her that I was truly sorry. And I knew for a fact that that feeling was gonna stay in the back of my mind forever.

I shook my heat at the thought.

No… It couldn't end like this. I wouldn't let it!

I had something to say, and I was gonna say it right here, and right now.

I glared at her and clenched my fists. "Chris. You're not leavin' until I say-"

I stopped.

It happened so fast, I nearly fell backwards.

I ain't know what was going on at first. But I knew for a fact that I was frozen. My body, my mind, and my heart was just still. All I could focus on was the way her arms felt around me. How warm she was. I swallowed hard and my eyes stared straight ahead. It took me a long while to process what the hell just happened.. -what was _happening_. But as soon as I felt her head rest on my chest, everything became clear.

And in that moment, all the shit I wanted to say.. All the emotions I kept holding in, everything just busted out of me. But no words came out my mouth..

No…

The words expressed themselves in a different way..

Before I knew it, my arms quickly wrapped around her small body. I ain't know what made me do it, but for some reason… the shit just felt… right. Like it's what I should've did ever since I first saw her standing in front of the graves.

I squeezed my eyes shut and held her closer to me. My cheeks getting comfortably hotter.

She held me tighter in response.

It was quiet. Like everything just froze in their tracks. And at that moment, it was like we was the only ones in the world. As weird as that sounded..

And… for some reason… While we was standing there hugging each other.. it felt like we was saying all we had to say… even though we wasn't saying nothing at all.

And I understood her.

And I knew deep down that she understood me too.

I…

I ain't never wanna let go..

I opened my eyes when I felt my shirt beginning to get stained with her tears. She was sniffling a little, but she wasn't sobbing. Wasn't bawling her eyes out. Just finally allowing her tears to fall. Not holding them back anymore.

She was shaking a little. So I held her tighter.

"Thank you, Riley.."

Her voice was so soft, I could barely hear her.

And I squeezed my eyes shut again in response.

Because as soon as I heard her say those words, everything became surreal. And I realized that Chris was finally about to leave me for good.

She sniffed again.

"Thank you so much… for… for being my friend.."

She then looked up at me; tears streaming down her face; her cheeks red.

She began to pull away from me..

But like an instinct, I quickly pulled her back into my arms.

_Did I….. Did I really just do that?_

What was wrong with me? I'd never let _anybody_ see me being all sappy like this. Anybody but Chris that is.. But… I just couldn't let her go.. I ain't have the strength to. Because something deep down in my heart told me hat if I let her go…. If I let her leave _right_ now… I was never gonna see her again.. I'd be losing the only _real_ friend I ever had in my life.. Why would I let something like that go so easily?

"We'll see each other again… before you know it.."

Surprised, I looked down at her, only to see her staring up at me with a small smile.

I looked towards the side and shook my head. "Nah, I don't believe you.."

Before I could continue, I felt something I ain't never felt before.

A soft feeling on my face.

I gasped.

She just..

She just kissed my cheek.

I shot a surprised look in her direction; my cheeks so hot, they could fry an egg. I was so shocked, I let her go and shoved my hands in my pockets. My heart was beating so fast...

It was the first time… the first time someone…-a girl…

I swallowed hard when I realized it…

_It was…. It was my first kiss._

She just smiled; her cheeks still a little red. "Well, you don't have a choice but to believe me.. So shut up."

And just like that, she turned around, and began to walk in the opposite direction. It was at this moment that I realized that she had a limp with each step. Another permanent reminder of our stay at the asylum.

I just stood there… watching her go..

By this time, I realized that I was holding my breath ever since she… she…

I felt my cheeks getting hot all over again when I thought about it.

Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks, and looked back at me with a smile. Her mouth was moving, but I ain't hear any words come out. No.. she was mouthing something to me.. And I read her lips perfectly.

"_See you later.."_

She then turned, and slowly made her way towards her aunt's car.

She disappeared behind the closing door.

And after a few seconds, the car drove off.

And… that was it.

Chris was out of my life…

…again.

But somehow… I trusted her. I trusted that someday… we'd be able to see each other again. I knew it wouldn't be tomorrow. Or the next day. Shit, I knew it probably wouldn't be any time for the rest of this year… But someday… somehow… I was gonna see her again. And nothing was gonna stop me from doing it.

And I felt even better…

..because I knew nothing was gonna stop her from finding me either.

I smiled; still staring at the direction where she left.

"I'll neva' forget you, Christina… I promise."

Even though she couldn't hear me say it, I believed she already knew..

Without even thinking about it, I took my hand out of my pocket and placed it on my cheek. The cheek where she.. where she..

I smiled this time..

I then looked over towards the sky and realized that the sun's raze was extremely dull. It would be going down soon, which meant that if I wanted to make it to my second destination, I had to leave now..

I sighed, and took one last look at her parent's graves. I smiled.

And without another word.. I turned around, and made my way out of the cemetery.

Before I got here, I wished that I could take back all that shit that had happened to me back then. But now… I wasn't so sure about that. I mean, yeah… I'd definitely take back Chris and me getting hurt all those times. But as for me being kidnapped and meeting her in the first place? Well… I'd never say it outloud… But I ain't wanna change that at all. Because despite all the fucked up shit I seen at that asylum… and despite how I felt at the time… I believe that all that shit made me a better person… I mean… I was a gangsta ass nigga before all this. But now… I feel… I don't know… smarter? More aware..? I couldn't really explain it, but I knew the Riley I once was is gone now..

And I had Chris to thank for that..

Cause if it wasn't for her.. I'd probably still be in my same, fucked up mindset. Not giving a fuck about anything or anybody. But… ever since I met her… I actually learned to…. _care_ about something.. -_someone_ other than me..

And… maybe that was for the best.

I smiled to myself as I exited the cemetery and made my way down the street..

_I'll be patient... I'll wait for you, Chris. And when you're ready, we'll find each other again.._

Yeah… I believed that with my heart… That much was for sure. She'll get better in time… and she'll be able to come back so we can continue our friendship. I was gonna show her all around Woodcrest… introduce her to all my homies… and chill with her all the time. And if she needed help with anything… I was gonna be there for her. Cause she was always there for me. _…Always._

But as for right now… As for this very moment…

I had to go get Granddad his orange juice.

Cause it was over a year late.

* * *

**I just want to say…**

**THANK YOU.**

**For everyone who stuck with me throughout this WHOLE crazy time. Even when I had to deal with real life, I still had you guys sticking with me. And I appreciate it SO MUCH. You just have no idea. **

**I think it's amazing that throughout this journey, I only got ONE bad comment on this story. [I think we all know what that comment was] Haha. But despite all that, you guys gave me the drive to continue this story.**

**I don't want to let you down, and I'm really sorry for this, but I won't be making a sequel to Woodcrest Asylum. I just don't have the time anymore. I'm so sorry.. :(**

**But it was fun while it lasted, right? We had those happy times… the sad times… and those fucked up times that we all know and love. And I really enjoyed writing this for you guys. And I hoped you enjoyed reading this just as much as I did writing it. Hehe.**

**If you have any questions or concerns, just send me a message on here. Or just review the story. I'll try to get back with everybody. I'll even give out my Facebook page. If you want it, that is. XD**

**I REALLY, REALLY LOVE you guys. I couldn't ask for better, and funnier reviewers. LMAO**

**Love, WelcomeToTheMadhouse. AKA: Eboni.**

**P.S: Don't be afraid to share this story with friends or family. I'd love for other people to get a kick out of my work. Even if it just makes them smile while reading it, that's fine with me. :) Thank you guys for everything. God Bless you all!**


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